Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Even in a world which swears undying adoration to the supposed truth of black and white, there is always room for a Myriad Of Colour to infiltrate the monochrome existence that we have been pushed, shoved into, as if we were incapable of seeing the beauty of a rose or the gentleness of grass without being instructed that it was there, that without the help of the over involved, we would be blind to the depth of shades and flush available.
We don’t need the overpriced and the overindulgent to draw back the blinds on life and show us how nature in all her infinite finesse, we need the artists to colour in the moments we cannot see, to describe the shape of the tinted hue, and the feel of the influence in which those moments will live on forever.
Simon Cousins is a painter of words, a palate richly laden with shades and streaks that many cannot hold without them mixing absurdly, and in his new album, Myriad Of Colour, the volume of the artist’s experience is pinpointed, a single brush hair illuminating the canvas in ways that a roller would miss, and it is with wonder and joy that this particular set of songs is arguably the finest set down for the creative mind.
The album is a reflection of the man, wild and forgiving, passionate and shyly full of drama, words and music that are in tandem, in unison, and as tracks such as the sensational opener of The Tide That Raised All The Boats, a metaphor that colour enriches, the observation and sound that accompanies That Old Magpie, Spencer The Rover, the understanding of how stories can hold weight from prehistory in The Fabled Song Of Adam, and the exceptional folk brilliance of Jack In The Green, Simon Cousins, and his merry band of musicians, serenade and court the natural with charm and accuracy of temperament.
Simon Cousins has taken it upon himself to delve deeper into the palate of life, each stroke of the brush hosting variety of self-exploration, expressions, and dream like sonnets of wealth. A Myriad of Colour, a mass of exultant introspection revealed on a canvas unhindered…Simon Cousins has produced an absolute legendary recording.
Ian D. Hall