Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

The mystery and the cryptic unknown that flirts with furtive secrecy as the tarot cards are laid to determine, or at least pinpoint your fate across time, have beguiled many, and lured many more to a place where The World itself seems to stop in time as it breathes in contentment and delivered understanding that there is more to our time than just being numbers and clocking in to another’s tune.

The world certainly owes us no favours, but it can, when we have pulled the right card from the tarot card from the pack lead us perhaps on a quest of self-discovery, to understand the meanings behind the images, and on occasion find a place where we can feel the depth of feeling behind the chill and the love running up and down our spines.

We are charmed by the possibility of universal divination and so we must find the same illumination in the lyrical and musical power of Sue Harding as the West Country singer-songwriter not only takes on the world but feels assured of her place within it.

The Wheel of Fortune has been spun, it has turned, the motion of the cyclical, almost mesmeric, never finding a fool but an astute, mindful traveller of the representation of the sound and the vision she connects with, and as tracks such as The Bloody Rose, The Briar, Old Glass, the excellent Icebergs, Sirens, and a wonderful call back to a classic live performance of Lady Electra, the new enthrallment to the magic of the tarot cards has found a way to spill into the musician’s soul.

With support from Gemma White on fiddle, Al Cosnett on harmonica, Steve Ricketts on accordion, Sara Vian and Jane Langley offering the subtle passions of backing vocals, and Will Angelero on fretless bass and guitar, as well as providing a pivotal role in recording and producing the album, Ms. Harding’s positive declaration is one of upmost reassurance and revolution.

A smashing album, one of consistency and unselfish demand.

Ian D. Hall