Artist – Simon Cousins
Album – Myriad of Colour
Released –27th September 2022
Reviewer – Allan Cairns, Liverpool Acoustic
Launched at Maghull Folk Club in September, Myriad of Colour is Simons Cousins’ fourth solo album.
It comprises eleven tracks mostly self penned, plus an arrangement of the traditional song Spencer the Rover and a track – Jack in the Green – written by his friend Lisa Goodwin.
The list of the musicians on this album is like a who’s who of the local and not-so-local musicians – 17 in all from across the UK.
Born in the West Country, from the 70s onwards Simon played in various bands with his twin brother Jon. In the 80s they formed the indie folk band Ophiuchus. Later Simon joined forces with Mike Badger (co-founder of the indie legend The Las) to form the UK’s Americana pioneers The Onset.
Cousins can be found performing on the Merseyside folk scene and appearing at festivals, including three times at Glastonbury.
Simon has a way of singing these songs that makes them feel like old friends. The Tides That Raised All Boats is inspired by Harry Leslie Smith’s 2014 Labour Party Conference speech. It starts with Martin Smith (Wizards of Twiddley) on trumpet, which is fast becoming my new favourite instrument. What unfolds is the story of our NHS and is so relevant in these trying times when so many
people need it, and the people who can and should help maintain it are not.
The Woman of Ireland is a variation of an Irish aisling which tells of a woman who loves gold and silver more than the love of an ordinary man.
Patina is exploration of the emotional as well as the physical impressions we imbue into the things around us, in this case an old table in the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel. Myriads of colour have been left on the table by all the hands, bodies and touches left over the years but also the words spoken or sung across it and the emotions seeping into the timbers. The tales they could tell if only they could talk or we had the ears to hear.
There are many songs that have struck a chord with me on this album, that to pick just one would be an injustice to the wealth of content. I have not heard Simon Cousins in person something I hope to remedy as soon as I can.
Review © 2022 Allan Cairns for Liverpool Acoustic
Myriad of Colour is available on iTunes and Amazon. Links to his other albums can be found on his
website sicousins.co.uk.