Music
Our debut album, 'Found in Translation' was recorded at The Sweet Factory in Louth, Lincolnshire, UK. Studio boss Dave Formula (ex-Magazine and Visage keyboard player) engineered and co-produced the album, and it was mastered by Andy Seward. Guest musicians who lent their musical expertise are:
Keith Angel: Drums and percussion, Micky Broadbent: Bass guitar, Matt Park: Pedal-steel guitar
Thom Whitworth: Trumpet, Dave Simpson: Slide guitar, Joshua England: Cello
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'Found in Translation' is now available as a
download and CD on Bandcamp.
Just click on the link below. Or stream on Spotify
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Read the full review from The Lincolnshire Songwriters' Guild below.
The Lincolnshire Songwriters' Guild review:
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The Wounded Healers: “Anglo-American roots, blues and sweet harmonies.”
The first two tracks of this record demonstrate that proposition perfectly: Transporting you from the vibrant Cajun nightclubs of Louisiana to the smoky street-cafes of Paris in an impressively seamless way. It is perhaps a gamble, but one that certainly pays off in the context of the album as a whole and prepares the listener for the musical journey they are about to undertake.
The diversity shown by the band on this record is as much a testament to individual abilities of the members as it is their broad influences and whilst the scope of the music may be wide it never feels disjointed or incoherent. The ‘Healers have achieved something very special with this record in blending their influences and styles without having the resulting output diluted or compromised. Tracks such as ‘Edge of the Field’, with it’s Solid Air-era John Martyn blues sound, and the eponymous ‘Found in Translation’ with its nod to a Zydeco music style are signs of a band in the throws of creative passion, rather than a group of songwriters with different ideas and influences. This, for me personally, peaks around the track ‘Black and White’ which offers an entirely different angle of the ‘Healers by exploring the medium of acoustic rock through disco-esque beats with an unexpected jangling guitar solo that would even make Johnny Marr jealous. It sounds unusual but is a glorious statement to the creativity and open-mindedness of the band. For that reason, it sits firmly as a personal favourite.
The mixing, mastering and balance of sound on this record is impressive for a release outside of a major label and does The Sweet Factory in Louth (where it was recorded) a great credit. The sound is warm and inviting and reminiscent (at times) of the classic ‘Sun record’ recordings of the 1950s, whilst bringing that sound up to date with much more modern, digital techniques. The warmth of this record doesn’t come from the technology though; it comes from the effortless grace of the vocal performances from Charlie Jones and Peter Conner, the expert phrasing and placement of Quinn Needham’s driving guitar and the consistently solid and never overly-busy beats of Keith Angel, which I have heard executed live by now regular drummer Andy Hemmings. This is a group effort and ultimately greater than the sum of its parts.
RATING: ESSENTIAL