MUSICIANS CORNER

First up, a new EP by those fantastic Folksters White Sail is always a joy and the new one, nautically titled, This Great Ocean is no exception.

Here we have a quintet of superb songs with the sea and its various guises running through it, from the wistful memories of life on a beach which is Shingle Street, and the racy Sailing Home with it's incredibly catchy driving refrain, like yachts in a race with only one winner - the listener!

Gravity is a truly beautiful song, lush, with harmonies to die for, proving if proof were needed that White Sail really are one of Britain's premier purveyors of song.

On The Blue reminds me of several Nick Drake compositions - praise indeed! Elegiac, a song of passing beyond the veil of life, and yet despite the innate sadness of the song, there is also an element of joy - a new adventure beckons as the old one ends. Neither gravity or the thread of life are there to hold us back if we truly let ourselves embrace the adventure.

Warm Sea brings this delightful collection to a close. Seldom have I heard Sarah Dean in finer form than here. If this one doesn't move you then you are either made of stone or dead!

The combined talents of Jane Stockdale, Chris Bartram and Sarah Dean are truly incredible, this is music that is good for the heart and the soul, a tonic we all need these days - wonderful stuff!