Rebecca Moore – Return

Return spans over a decade of touring and songwriting, both in Australia and the UK. The songs from this record combine the beauty of folk lyricism and Rebecca’s Celtic ancestry, with the power of rock music and blues.

CD review by Ian Dearden

Rebecca Moore is an Australian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with a big, big voice whose material ranges all the way from gentle, introspective folk songs through to full bore, rock diva with wailing guitars and pounding drums territory!

Recorded in both the UK, with Martin Russell from Afro Celt Sound System, and Tathra (south coast of NSW), this album features 10 original songs by Rebecca.

‘Behind the Stone’ features twice on the album, with versions recorded in Australia and the UK, as well as a cover of Bill Monroe’s ‘Rocky Road Blues’.

The songs cover well worn tropes including, love lost: ‘Behind the Stone’; ‘Storm in The Weather’; ‘Pretty Big Mess’; ‘The Tide’; ‘The Roses Were Few’; and, ‘Not My Island’.

Love found: ‘Deep Down’; ‘Lighten My Load’, with nods at the sins of the clergy; ‘Triangle’; and, ‘Neverland’.

The songs are superbly crafted, the recording quality is immaculate, the arrangements are thoughtful, varied and dynamic, and the outcome is a delightful and engaging album.

I was particularly taken by the anthemic rock stylings of ‘Deep Down’ and ‘Neverland’, the string quartet arrangement underpinning the guitar and vocals in ‘Storm in The Weather’, the jazz-tinged, ‘Not My Island’, and the country feel of ‘Lighten My Load’, with its sweet, heartbreak, fiddle lines.

The through line between these various stylistic excursions is that powerful voice that remains front and centre on every song.

The album artwork is fabulous and the liner notes are comprehensive and informative.

In short, this album is an aural treat.