CD
by Damh The
Bard
Review by Chris
Hurst
I guess it seems a bit odd, really, me reviewing a
CD because I'm arguably the least musical person on the face of the planet.
Heigh ho, I don't consider myself to have any affinity with words either - and
yet I seem to manage to review books ............. so here goes.
A
couple of years ago I fell almost by accident into Druidry. I signed up with
OBOD, and a week or two later a few bits and bobs arrived in the mail -
including a CD emblazoned with circles enclosing rays with dots over them. I
listened to it in the car, off on my travels somewhere, and was immediately
struck by the sheer professionalism of the singers and musicians. One song in
particular resonated with me at some deep, subliminal level - so I played it
over and over, louder and louder. In the midst of sheer exhilaration a few
well-chosen words brought tears - and then bounced my emotions back into
wide-eyed wonder at hearing the beauty of nature encapsulated with haiku-like
economy. The song was "The Song Of Awen" and it was by
a guy called Damh The Bard.
Continually smiling at myself, I would have to admit in those far off (!!!!)
days I didn't know if Awen was the name of an ancient Welsh fertility goddess
or if it was something else entirely. I've learned a little bit, since, and
Damh's songs have kept me company through the process giving me tantalizing
glimpses into the Old Stories of the Lands of Albion. Apart from anything else,
the lyrics have been decidedly helpful as far as learning pronunciation goes
......... I had come across Blodeuwedd a year or two before during the
homeopathic proving of Tyto alba (barn owl) but the mere sight of such a
word on a page of text used to send me running for cover instead of reading it!
Often I find myself pondering a riddlesome reference contained within a song -
only to find myself smiling at it a few months down the line on finding I've
unwittingly immersed myself in some magical quest for whatever it was. Wherever
I currently find myself in daring the Seven Castles or chasing down my
inspiration, I find that Damh has walked in similar places before me. Strangely
reassuring, that is.
The Cauldron Born is Damh's fourth album, and it's every bit as magical
as any of its three predecessors. Some say it's his best yet, but for me the
word "best" is an irrelevance because in all we listen to the voice
of a Bard who continually stirs something deep within each one of us,
confronting us with images in incisive poetry that prompt us to think, to celebrate,
to weep, and to deepen our relationships with the Land and with our Druidry. He
always manages to do this - how I have simply no idea, but the mechanics of
such passionate creativity are mysterious in any case.
If I was forced to pick a favourite track from The Cauldron Born it
would simply have to be Green And Grey. It always moves me to tears,
this gentle confrontation between pagan Piper and Christian priest that refutes
the demonizing of the old gods and ancient ways through words of clarity devoid
of bitterness. Land, Sky And Sea reflects the yearning for connection in
the wild places of our hearts and souls and transmits the intensity of hiraeth
onto the rainbow silvered shiny plastic of the CD itself, whilst Only Human is
as hard-hittingly eloquent as any protest song of the great era of the Sixties.
I could say so much ........ and I could also say so little. I find myself
becoming wary of the sort of analysis demanded of critics of English
literature, in which words and syllables of poetry are pulled apart into
fragments that do little to explain the fact that the whole inevitably speaks
to us with beauty and power that transcends the sum of its constituent parts.
Just listen ......... and his songs will weave their magic around you,
mirroring that which you hold precious in the deep secret depths of your
spirit. Just dance .......... and smile broadly for the sheer joyousness
of life, because all emotions are reflected in the outpouring of his talent and
humanity.
Thank you, Damh, for your Awen. Fab as always.
