It's always so exciting here when a new album is released! I couldn't wait to have a chance to quietly listen and really take in the album and put a few thoughts together - a few turned into a lot, which is ironic since I'm often rendered speechless by how much I enjoy Damien's music. So anyway, here's my thoughts after a few listens right through now and hopefully it really reflects how much I love what Damien's achieved with his new album
Damien Leith’s “Catch the Wind - Songs of a Generation” promises an abundance of some of the great songs of the best singer/songwriters of the era. By their nature, these songs would not tolerate an insincere approach in the interpretation. With his innate instincts and respect for the material, his skills as an arranger and stunning vocal ability, they were always in safe hands.
Damien has presented a richly crafted & emotional listening experience - not just from the quality of the songs themselves but from the sublime treatment given them.
From the opening title song, “Catch the Wind”, the crystal clear production showcases the play of each acoustic guitar string, Damien’s voice floating through the mix with the warmth for which he has become famous. His ability to reach straight to the heart with his vocals and arrangements is at the forefront again here.
The resonance of the instrumental elements builds further with the introduction of strings next for “Annie’s Song”, a lushly romantic treatment sweeping along in gorgeous abundance through it’s waltz tempo.
A more up-tempo feel and distinctive keyboard sparkle then introduces “Wild World”, the vocal, instrumentations & arrangement gaining momentum as the song progresses to create a gloriously layered and vigorous track. It is also exciting to hear the occasional raw edge allowed to break across the usually perfectly controlled tones of Damien’s voice here, entirely appropriate to the lyric in that section and further enhancing the overall emotion of the song.
From the gusto of “Wild World” we are then drawn into a sublime treatment of “If” by Damien’s pure vocal and guitar, the refined emotions of the first verse combining and building with a transcendent string section to create a quietly epic and highly emotive conclusion.
With songs such as “The Times they are a Changing”, an updated “Universal Soldier” and “Blowing in the Wind,” spare and stripped back arrangements further highlight the power of the lyric. It is interesting with hindsight to consider the words of this era and also how a new generation will see them.
Damien’s vocals resonate with truth throughout the collection, whether in the impassioned calls of “Father & Son” or the gentle & plaintive “And I Love You So”. His natural affinity for connecting with a song is sure to be recognised over time as among his great hallmarks.
“Vincent” begins in stillness, with the gentle and assured tones of Damien’s vocal alone - “Starry starry night”… before the lullaby-tempo of the acoustic guitar joins in accompaniment throughout with idyllic strings to create one of the album’s most poignant tracks.
“Everybody’s Talking” introduces a change of pace, the orchestration painting an easy Latin/Island tempo of golden-toned seascapes & laid back dreams.
At its beginning, “Guitar Man” in many ways captures the energy and soulful playfulness Damien brings to a live performance. The arrangement definitely nods to the essence of the original’s instrumentation but brilliantly distils it. As with the original, almost without realising it we are drawn through the journey of the song into an entirely changed mood from start to finish. Damien’s vocal, the acoustic guitar, keyboards and strings all merge as the song progresses into an opulently textured swirl of sound until anthemic strings circle alone overhead and carry the song to the lofty heights of it’s final notes.
“Baby I Love Your Way” then redraws the atmosphere once more. This arrangement is another inspirational reworking of the original, distinctively different and pared back to it’s essence - to a lyrical piano and Damien’s evocative vocal, a stealthy “Dark Side of the Moon” keyboard sound all the while spiralling in and out of dormancy and underlying the arrangement.
The Choir of Hard Knocks makes it’s first appearance on the next track, “Only Love Can Break Your Heart”, and the combined vocals and instrumentation sway through the waltz tempo which again brings Damien’s natural lilt to the fore. The sweetness of his falsetto contrasts beautifully here with the steady deep toned vocal and instrumental accompaniment.
Coming to the closing songs, “Longer” is lavishly romantic without being sentimental, the florid strings anchored by the honesty of Damien’s vocal to create a dreamlike flow through the entire piece.
Following the wonderfully spare “Blowing in the Wind”, the intro of “Old Man” gains momentum then strides across a gorgeously structured and exciting rendering. The Choir of Hard Knocks and Damien’s vocals combine with great heart to drive one of the many true highlights of this collection.
“And I Love You So” which follows is also exquisite, with undertones of cello interweaving the violin, Damien’s expressive vocal, & a raindrop acoustic guitar (which at times has echoes of the acoustic score by Mario Millo / Jon English of “Against the Wind”) to create a genuinely touching rendition. Similarly, “Sunshine” also touches an emotional chord, not only through the spare rendering of the sweet heartbeat tempo of the song itself but through the constancy of Damien’s vocal.
The final track, “Time in a Bottle”, comes as a further revelation. The opening and concluding vocals and instrumentations are eerily reminiscent of an early solo McCartney at his best. Damien’s voice and the melancholic accordion convey the song’s disarming sense of yearning in the minor keys which alternates in the changes with a hopeful brightness then back again and finishes the album on a very distinctive note.
“Baby Jane” - the 19th track available as a bonus via iTunes download is an original track by Damien which sits well with this collection and also as a marker to where his writing direction may be heading. The song’s wistful lyric tells it’s hopeful but perhaps destined to be unrequited love story in contrast with a very pretty instrumentation and jaunty tempo reminiscent of the feel of an early Van Morrison.
With “Catch the Wind - Songs of a Generation”, Damien has taken the memories of this genre from his youth and looked them squarely in the eye - understanding, reinvestigating and very successfully celebrating them while ultimately infusing them with the deft imprint of his
own character and time.
I'm only making quick visits at the moment as I'm working late hours again, but cannot wait to get back and have a good discussion and read through all this thread very soon!!!!
).
It is really interesting hearing what the "younger" generation think of all these old songs. I am thrilled to hear your views on the different songs. Thankyou ;D
aka @just_Leithal on Twitter 
the vocals are achingly beautiful.
I'm enjoying the CD so much, and finding my favourite songs are changing a lot as I really love all of them for different reasons!
He was calling out as he was listening, "Oh wow... listen to that.... oh WOW!!"
When he heard "Baby I Love Your Way" his first comment was "Wow, that's different"... then by the end he was saying "You know, I like that better than the original too!"