Sarah McQuaid – The St Buryan Sessions

CD Review: Sarah McQuaid – The St Buryan Sessions

by Antony Bailey for Country Music News International

1. Sweetness And Pain (The St Buryan Sessions)
2. The Sun Goes On Rising (The St Buryan Sessions)
3. If We Dig Any Deeper, It Could Get Dangerous (The St Buryan Sessions)
4. The Silence Above Us (The St Buryan Sessions)
5. One Sparrow Down (The St Buryan Sessions)
6. Charlie’s Gone Home (The St Buryan Sessions)
7. What Are We Going To Do (The St Buryan Sessions)
8. Yellowstone (The St Buryan Sessions)
9. Time To Love (The St Buryan Sessions)
10. Autumn Leaves (The St Buryan Sessions)
11. In Derby Cathedral (The St Buryan Sessions)
12. The Day Of Wrath, That Day (The St Buryan Sessions)
13. The Tug Of The Moon (The St Buryan Sessions)
14. Rabbit Hills (The St Buryan Sessions)
15. Last Song (The St Buryan Sessions)
16. Bonus Track (The St Buryan Sessions)

Sarah McQuaid, born in Madrid and raised in Chicago has recently released an exceptional new album titled ‘The St Buryan Sessions’. The songs were recorded at St Buryan in rural West Cornwall, England, close to where she currently resides. The record can be streamed or downloaded from multiple online platforms.

Recording the album in a church was a great way for McQuaid to showcase her soaring vocal abilities, making good use of the churches acoustics in addition to retaining a subtle and sensitive approach to each track.

The opening song on the album ‘Sweetness And Pain’ is sang A Capella to set a soothing tone tinged with an overwhelming sense of disquiet, leaving the listener with a sense of unease as the church acoustics push the music into unchartered territory. ‘The Sun Goes On Rising’ is the empowering recording that follows and includes the use of an acoustic guitar to compliment the vocal melody.

‘One Sparrow Down’ includes a tapped-out rhythm on the guitar as McQuaid sings what sounds like a medley, mixing different styles of music together that at times sounds a little like a sea shanty. ‘Autumn leaves’ is a softly sung tune that simply grips the listener by the heartstrings as it takes its audience on a journey of hope and desperation.

It is fair to say that all tracks on the album fade away to leave the listener feeling both empowered with prosperity yet overwhelmed with emotional anguish. The record is well worth adding to the collection and be sure to keep an eye out for Sarah McQuaid in the future for upcoming releases, her work is simply a breath of fresh air into the modern music scene.