Murdo Mitchell is known as one of the UK’s brightest new folk storytellers, often seen in the same light as the likes of Dylan John Thomas thanks to his down-to-earth persona, street-wise lyricism and busking origins.
The first thing to hit you when listening to his latest release ‘French Defence’ is the rich, warming tone. It doesn’t have that stripped back, minimal feel that you may associate with a lot of acoustic folk acts. Instead, every element has a depth to its tone that makes it make your ears prick up. The drums are soft yet crunchy and the acoustic sounds are full bodied and far from passive. The fuzzy electronic buzz that swoops in as the verse progresses is final confirmation that the song is going to have a far more layered instrumental arrangement than you may expect.
It is not just the instrumentals that have depth too, Murdo’s vocals are understated yet powerful in their delivery, rarely raising his voice but always delivering each word with meaning and heart. As the lyrical flows become faster later in the track it becomes truly captivating.
The chorus is one that grows on you time by time. As Murdo’s vocals grow increasingly passionate, the melodic lines stick with you more and more. Again, the chorus is not one that is over expressive but it is so well arranged and sang that it makes a great impact.
The strings also become bigger and bigger, adding a cinematic element that completes that layered instrumental section before a wonderfully finale of overlapping vocal lines closes the song in style. The backing vocals have a tightly rolled rhythm reminiscent of Jamie T while the soaring lead vocals ring of Paolo Nutini. A beautifully layered track that stands Murdo Mitchell apart from his contemporaries.
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