Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Place and voice are entities we never seem to find in our lifetimes, unless we are fortunate, unless we strive to unearth them, to dig around the edges of our existence and truly appreciate that all the while it was within reach; not so much as buried, as just waiting to be uncovered by our soul.
To be able to have your voice heard and understood is a feeling bordering on contentment, but to know that you are also in the right place, not just in location but in spiritual belief, is to understand that your heart is open to helping others realise their own way of discovery, and for Martyn Joseph that has always been the driving force; not just his own search, but aiding, helping, encouraging others to believe it is possible.
This Is What I Want To Say, and in Martyn Jospeh’s brand new recording the sense of freedom gained as he exhales deeply knowing that he has understood his own place and time is one of celebration, and as each track unfolds, so the belief in his journey shines through, and two years on from his last, and sensational, album, what he wants to say is illuminating, graceful, and respectful to the listener’s soul.
Across tracks such as Pacific Northwest, I’d Take You Out, Don’t Need No Cathedral, You’re Still Here, and the heartfelt finale of Without You, Martyn Jospeh lets go of any insecurity that may have been lurking in that wonderfully passionate heart, and comes to terms with what he has lost, including the passing of his father, and embraces the memories that remains; that cathartic feel of holding the truth close whilst letting the adverse story float away, letting it go.
It is to that unrestricted voice that carries the album in a way that few others could hope to emulate. In exposing the realisation he has always had the right of expression, Martyn Joseph’s This Is What I Want To Say exemplifies the tandem persuasion of voice and guitar to such an extent that his place, as ever, is assured in the centre of the fan’s heart.
A grand way to open 2024, a key artist of our times returns with an album of the highest integrity.
Martyn Joseph releases This Is What I Want To Say on January 12th via Pipe Records.
Ian D. Hall