There's inventiveness abounding on the new record from Bill Ryder-Jones. The former member of The Coral unleashes a symphonic rush on the best tracks on Iechyd Da, his latest. And fans of Shack or early Ed Harcourt, for example, may find this one right up their alley.
A number like "Nothing to Be Done" pulls at a listener's heart-strings with its swells of emotion, even as numbers that are more contemplative, like "It's Today Again", suggest the better moments on those first two classic Mull Historical Society releases. Still, Bill Ryder-Jones deserves to be appreciated on his own terms. A comparison in a review might bring someone here, but it's the music that will win over many. "I Hold Something in My Hand" is gentle and ruminative, with Jones letting the beauty of the track convey emotional depths. His skills here all throughout Iechyd Da are evident, with the numbers with a bit of heft behind them being the ones that I found most effective.
Iechyd Da by Bill Ryder-Jones is out now via Domino.
[Photo: Domino]