12/03/2025
Wildflower review #1 from MLWZ…
The first Wildflower review is in… ✨🌺✨
“British vocalist Heather Findlay is remembered primarily as the star of Mostly Autumn, with whom, starting with their debut "For All We Shared" (1999) and ending in 2010, when she decided to leave the band, she achieved the heights of popularity in the world of contemporary progressive rock.
After leaving Mostly Autumn, Heather, together with her bandmate Angela Gordon, worked in the acoustic duo Odin Dragonfly (including the albums "Offerings" and "Sirens"), but she focused primarily on her solo career, which began with the mini-album "The Phoenix Suite" from 2011, which marked a new beginning and a significant change in her musical interests, which went in the direction of acoustic folk rock. On March 28 this year, Heather Findlay's new solo album "Wildflower" was released, containing 13 new songs.
"Wildflower" is another step in this direction. It is dominated by acoustic folk with clear American musical undertones. It is a very intimate and personal album. On it, Heather sings about her journey through life, affirms her love for the world and celebrates her inner development. And also peace. Her new album phenomenally demonstrates how this artist masterfully builds the foundation of her songs using an acoustic guitar, delicate sounds played on black and white piano keys and the subtle (very subtle!) sound of keyboard instruments. All of this is, of course, maintained in abundant vocal harmony sporadically reinforced by the pulse of the bass drum and discreetly used percussion instruments, which makes "Wildflower" a truly holistic sound experience. It is also a typical example of a "self-made", or if you prefer, "one-woman album", on which Heather plays all the instruments that build the background for her singing. Only one track features a guest, but not just any guest – “Still Burning” features Heather Findlay’s long-time musical companion from Mostly Autumn – the famous musician Troy Donockley (ex-Iona, Nightwish. But not as a musician playing bagpipes, whistles and flutes, but… as a vocalist! And I have to admit that this vocal duo Findlay – Donockley are simply excellent in this recording.
From a literary perspective, Wildflower is a collection of vibrant love letters written by Heather to herself, to others, to the divine, to humanity, to her children, to the dark, to the light, to animals, to nature, and to those likened in the song “Blackbird” to “sky sailors”—birds floating in the air. Heather Findlay says of her songs: “Now I See” was a real revelation for me. It went from a raw recording that first appeared in early 2023 to a real song with keyboards and guitar, as well as some of my favorite harmonic lines on the album. The middle part of the song still makes me cry every time I listen to it, which is something I’ve never experienced in my music before. It’s quite a profound subject, but I think it carries a message of self-love, self-acceptance, and forgiving yourself for any perceived “mistakes.” And the fact that we can never truly give or receive love fully until we learn to love ourselves. For some people it may come naturally, and for others it may take a lifetime if we are lucky enough to grow into it. Because all we truly are is love. And if you are love, then everyone is love, right?”
These are wise words to ponder and reflect on. They are like mirrors reflecting all that we have to experience and learn in life.
Heather says of another of her songs on Wildflower: “Blackbird” is old. It first started coming out in the late nineties. I tried many times to shape it into a releaseable song, but every time I failed. But it was never a cause for concern. I just accepted that it wasn’t time yet.
But I never wanted to throw that song away because it was always so dear to me. It was like an old friend. I think some songs, when they’re not ready, just have to wait a while. This is one of those songs. I love how this version of “Blackbird” turned out on this album. I’ve enjoyed playing it with my friends and bandmates over the years—Angela, Simon, Alex, Dave Kerzner, and Luke—and I’m grateful for the time they took to play it with me. Now it’s finally time for it to leave its musical nest”.
And it’s without a doubt one of the most beautiful pieces on Wildflower.
It’s held together, like a clasp, by two short pieces—“Hi, It’s Just Me (Part 1 and Part 2)”—which are a compilation of messages recorded on a telephone answering machine. With this, Heather wanted to give the listener the sense that they’re not alone. At any point in time, in the midst of all the upheaval and turmoil that’s going on in the world right now. In spiritual terms, it can be seen as reaching out to what can be seen as the inner child living within us. Hurt and scared to come out into the world because of some of our life experiences. Towards the end of the album, the inner child calls back, says a “thank you,” shows appreciation, and finally boldly says, “yes, I’d like to meet up.” Ultimately, the message of both parts of “Hi, It’s Just Me” is that if we are able to listen and ask for support, we can always find it by going deep within ourselves and immersing ourselves in the intelligence of our own hearts…
Between the two parts of "Hi, It's Just Me" we find 11 songs based on acoustic sounds and Heather's leading, phenomenally sounding singing. There is no point in singling out any of them in any particular way, because the strength of the album is its atmosphere and this kind of continuity, which makes each subsequent recording a new story, a new musical journey, which you wait for with a trembling heart. All the recordings are easy on the ear, sound gentle, and at the same time make you involuntarily tap your foot and sway to their beautiful melodies. However, already on the first listen, a few special moments of this album stuck in my mind. Here we have the beautiful song "You Light The Fire" set in the sounds of the American South, the baroque ballad "Ever True", the pious, piano-led piece "May It Be", the most epic recording in this set "Arms Of Oak", sung a capella "Love All" and the already mentioned very successful duet wit Troy Donockley, "Still Burning"... But the whole thing is really excellent and makes "Wildflower" an extraordinary musical experience and a truly beautiful, three-quarter-hour-long experience. I think that the musical and literary content of this album is a form of channeling. But you can also look at it differently - if you don't want to delve into the hidden motives of individual songs, you can also listen to "Wildflower" as a collection of uplifting songs, simply - melodic songs flowing from the heart. Personally, however, I prefer to look at this set (and listen to it, of course!) through the prism of wise lyrics and thought-provoking messages. For me, the overarching theme of the album seems to be a message about discovering the possibilities of self-development in the face of adversity. This is best seen in the title track, "Wildflower." It is like a "summary" of the entire album”. ~ Artur Chachlowski for MLWZ, Poland
“Wildflower” is available for pre-order now in various formats on the label’s website www.blacksandrecords.com/shop and will hit stores on March 28, 2025.
Thank you Artur 🙏🌺
