Helen Sanderson-White
Album: Sirens And Other Mysteries
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 6
Website: http://www.helensandersonwhite.com

Bucks based singer-songwriter is one of a growing number of artists that has springboarded her release schedule using a Kickstarter crowd funding scheme to allow her to release not only "Sirens And Other Mysteries" but also to get together an Electronic Press Kit(EPK) to allow her to further promote her release to churches, theatres and other venues to create opportunities to get it heard.

Church is a quite important part of that list. The daughter of a Baptist minister, music and singing has always been an important an important part of Helen's life, and apart from a brief and unfulfilling foray into HR, music has been pretty much a full time career for her.

Praise singing, and I use that phrase carefully as this is an album that doesn't slot neatly into that shelf marked gospel, is a delicate art. Too full on and gushing and it sounds very twee and can be isolating, too low key and the messages can easily get lost.

In one of the contrasts in my life, I actually like the hymns of Wesley, he was a great songwriter in his day. The oratory and melody really capture the spirit he was passionate about, the people and politics and there is a sense that Helen Sanderson-White incorporates her spirit and passion in a more contemporary setting, there is definitely something psalmic about her writing.

I used the phrase, praise singing earlier, and that really is the focal point of the album. It's spiritual and uplifting and if that is your thing than there is a lot for you in this album, especially if you've got a lot going on in your life that needs some support. There's not a single song on this album that, in isolation, I didn't enjoy, but personally found six tracks back to back was a little too much, a little too full on.

Sanderson-White has a great voice, one that captures your attention, these are songs that want to be listened to, songs that could march alongside those of Welsey, "Sirens And Other Mysteries" is a good album/ep of its type and one that reaches to a wider audience, though to my mind, one to dip into.

Neil King