Amelia Baker is a troubadour and storyteller of dark but enchanting tales. In the guise of Cinder Well, she brings these stories to life with woozy and intoxicating melodies that are somewhat reminiscent of Sixties underground folkie Karen Dalton but which have very much their own elegant sound.
Her latest record, A Blooming Body is a beautifully atmospheric album but also one that is suitably lush and poetic, leaning into North American folk traditions with something of a Gothic vibe. Her shimmering sound suggests cinematic soundtrack music, exploring haunting vignettes that give tangential hints of her yarns without delving into too much explanation, instead letting intimate sonic textures and drones provide the heavy lifting. So, it is no surprise that she’s previously accompanied at least one screen drama with her ghostly melodies – most recently composing and performing the score for the BBC’s esoteric Small Prophets series.
To be sure, the songs on this disc don’t wander too far from Cinder Well’s established sound. “While the Womb Screams Silently”, which tells of the struggle to be creative in a patriarchal world, is considered and understated, while “Beyond the Pale”, about a relationship that’s slowly running out of road, is richly layered but maudlin. The minimalist yet exquisite “Ashes” and the tender but blissful “Of Nettles and Roses”, however, drift splendidly on sparsely fingered piano and gently plucked guitar strings.
A Blooming Body proves Baker to be a singer-songwriter of some serious talent. Meandering and spaced out but with no suggestion of being unsubstantial, this is an album that could easily provide an ideal backing to a drink or two of something strong with leaves of grass between your toes and the stars bright and shining in the heavens above. It’s certainly a record that is more than welcome in these troubled times, encouraging quiet contemplation and consideration of our real place in creation.
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