In loving memory of our co-founder, Darren Beech (4/08/1967 to 25/03/2021)

TESSA ROSE JACKSON – The Lighthouse (Tiny Tiger)

The LighthouseAnglo-Dutch singer/songwriter Tessa Rose Jackson’s new album The Lighthouse gained the accolade of folk album of the month in The Guardian.

The opening title track is a long way from folk as you or I might understand it, beginning with what sounds like field recording over a pounding rhythm on the bottom strings of an acoustic guitar. There are clanging instrumental breaks and an arrangement decorated with notes from the upper end of the piano keyboard which is rather nice. The album is concerned with death and life and ‘The Lighthouse’ represents an emotional or spiritual breakthrough.  The dark ‘The Man Who Wasn’t There’, which follows, is built on a percussive rhythm drenched with strings that threaten to overwhelm the vocals.

‘The Bricks That Make The Building’ throttles the sound back a bit and is better for it, The arrangement is fascinating with a subterranean bass taking a break in the middle and Tessa Rose’s acoustic guitar dominating. ‘Dawn’ finally sees off the bombast of the opening tracks and rejoices in another intriguing instrumental break, although the vocals are still too low in the mix for my taste. The current single, ‘Build To Collide’, is the most up-tempo track so far but I’m still struggling to decipher the words. I suspect that I’m just too old.

The Lighthouse was written in rural France and the ethereal ‘Gently Now’ actually sounds as though that is where it comes from as Tessa Rose’s voice is carried away on the carpet of strings. ‘When Your Time Comes’ initially rides on a funky guitar figure but is in danger of succumbing to another big arrangement as it considers our approach to death.  Appropriately enough, crisp drums introduce ‘Fear Bangs The Drum’ and there is a brass instrumental break which is something we haven’t heard before and ‘By Morning’ reintroduces the pastoral feel, it’s pretty much just acoustic guitar and voice. ‘Grace Notes’ continues in something of the same vein.

Revisiting the themes of death and life, ‘Wild Geese’ is a something of a tribute to Tessa Rose’s mother and, in its way, Minnesota, where she was born, With an unexpected burst of humour there is an instrumental effect that sounds not unlike the cackling of geese. Finally, ‘Prizefighter’ feels like a meditation on friendship and brings the album to a peaceful conclusion.

As I said, I’m probably too old for an album like The Lighthouse. I can drift along listening to the music and eventually I might be able to engage with it in the way that Tessa Rose intends but it will take a while, I fear.

Dai Jeffries

Artist’s website: https://www.tessarosejackson.com/

‘Built To Collide’ – official video:

We all give our spare time to run folking.com. Our aim has always been to keep folking a free service for our visitors, artists, PR agencies and tour promoters. If you wish help out and donate something (running costs currently funded by Paul Miles), please click the PayPal link below to send us a small one off payment or a monthly contribution.