The hubris implicit in the title of Sarah Mary Chadwick’s new album is misleading. Chadwick isn’t suggesting that the album will find its way alongside the likes of Neil Young’s Harvest, Marianne Faithful’s Broken English or George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass. Rather, the classic aspect of Chadwick’s record appears to be the subject matter of the songs. Chadwick is raking over the coals of emotional dramas we’ve all been through, the scars of which can be felt at the drop of a name, the sighting of a photograph or the recollection of a moment.
The album’s stripped back musical style – just Chadwick, an electric piano and a few well-chosen effects – reflects the bleeding raw content of her lyrics. Self-worth is trampled under foot (Am I Worth It), psychological trauma is repeated like a bad dream (Same Old Fires), emotional progress is halted in its tracks and pushed back into its place (I’m Back Where I Was), and hesitation and surrender become the only form of resistance (Ask Wait, Lying Down).
To listen to 9 Classic Tracks is to bear witness to an inner pain that’s graphic in its intensity. On I’m Like an Apple With No Skin Chadwick exposes herself for the world to see; Until the Grave suggests it’s all coming to a head; and by the time the album finishes with Rain It Down On Me, you’re emotionally drained, but strangely cleansed. Sometimes the most painful experiences make the strongest musical statements.
BY PATRICK EMERY
