Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Find someone who thinks deep thoughts and who acts upon them accordingly. Never be fooled by the alure of gold which can tarnish, instead protect, and praise the natural which can blossom and provide instead; and if you must be heartbroken, then let the words of poets and the observations of artists lead you back to a place where you are thankful for the experience offered, and not wallowing in the misery that the committee of offenders hoped for.

In the deep-thinking companion, in the release of emotions that form after a person has decided that you are their target, can be seen the vision of Belonging, it might not be a large group, it might only be a handful, but it will be the best, the finest, for in that appreciation of what you achieved in seeing past certain obstacles, comes company, comes pleasure of the senses, of knowing that you were in the right place at the right time and the company that has now enlightened you makes you understand that you do belong.

Dorothy Bird is a companion of the age, a soul who embraces the outpouring of emotion, who provides the stunning soundtrack for the heavy thinkers, and who is acknowledged as being as one with that crowd, and with the dedication to atmosphere, to expressed belief of her mind and music acting in unison, Dorothy Bird engages in the reveal of truth in her spellbinding debut album, Belonging.

The listener has been treated to a set of songs that highlight her prowess, but in this combined act of exposure, the soul has been set free, framed only by calm, uncaged and free, and in tracks such as Silent Warrior, Ghosts, Kaleidoscope, Under Water, Change, and the sizeable love carried in the tune of The Evening, the artistic integrity of the performer is acutely cool and breathtakingly, agonisingly beautiful.

Life is hard, life can be full of whispered words intended to damage and screams of vitriol designed to be brutal, but in the soft command of Dorothy Bird, the sense of being part of something else, something tangible and magnificent, is heart-warming and will always be the companion you turn too when life becomes rough.

An engaging, outstanding debut album, delivered in the finest way by Dorothy Bird.

Dorothy Bird releases Belonging in June 2022 via Klee Music.

Ian D. Hall