Album review of the breathtaking new album

‘One Hand On The Starry Plough’

from

Ian Prowse

 by Ella Holden and Sophie Turkman 

There is a great profundity to this instrumentally expansive album, emerging as a real synthesis of the genres and styles that Prowse has mastered, indicative of his thirty years of prolific musical artistry. Prowse came into the Liverpool music scene in 1989 as the frontman of the locally treasured indie rock band ‘Pele’, who he went on to have a career with until 1996. He then went on to form the band Amsterdam in 1999, who will accompany Ian in his upcoming tour of 2022. ‘One Hand On The Starry Plough‘ could perhaps be seen as an ode to his past with its almost lucid feel, which dares to resurrect sub-genres of the 80s and fuses them with the contemporary sound of the 21st century, conceiving a hybridized creation imbued with a sense of nostalgic optimism for a future prophesied by Prowse. 

 Prowse has delivered a strong and unwaveringly captivating ten song album, beginning with ‘Battle’, a song that soothes the senses through an opening segment of gentle acoustic strumming, meditatively guiding the listener through a journey of their own emotional response to the profoundly relatable, yet simultaneously uplifting lyrics: “We all get lonely, we all get hurt…what I’ve learnt is to tell you, it’s a different battle everyday”. The listener is consoled by the wisdom of these words; Prowse is extremely conscious of incorporating the whole of humanity into his songs by continuously using the pronoun ‘We’, as opposed to just exclusively referring to himself as ‘I’; this subtle quality emerges as the defining stroke of Prowse’s musical idiosyncrasy and implements a real sense of proximity between his listenership. 

 The second song on the album, ‘Holy, Holy River’, galvanizes the spirit of hope in the face of such adversity, specifically the adversity that accompanies death itself, an overarching theme of ‘One Hand On The Starry Plough’. The song creates a sense of an almost palpable intimacy between Prowse and local listeners by paying homage to the universally renowned and ever-present ‘holy’ River Mersey. As stated within the description of Prowse’s music video: 

‘An old hippy friend told Ian years ago that his tribe refer to the Mersey as the ‘Ganges of the West’, a Holy River. Many people throw their loved ones’ earthly remains into the river, kindly assisted by the public ferry stopping in the middle of the mighty river, shutting off the engines so a short service can take place. The tides of the river are so powerful that wherever that persons remains go and visit around the globe they are always drawn back into the Mersey estuary. 

 The river serves as an eternal resting place for those loved ones, preserved both in a literal and metaphoric sense within the sanctuary of the Mersey; ‘Holy, Holy River’s’ sonic elements mirror this sense of hopefulness and unfaltering optimism, a much-needed feeling for all after such a tumultuous year. This is further exemplified by those melodic gospel tones, which really capture the almost ethereal feel to the album and ever-present notion of interconnectedness between each song, pertaining to the power of the river and its ability to unite, and even serve as consolation in times of profound sorrow-a governing strength behind the voice of Prowse. 

 The omnipresent sense of hopefulness continues into the folky tune ‘Go Livio’ that tells the story of a young Italian-named man, Livio, receiving advice from his loving single-parent mother in a way that lends a sense of hope to those in times of pain and anguish. We learn that his father is “M.I.A.”, juxtaposed with a mother that gives him “love that would put an archangel to shame”, who is not only supporting her son but is also giving this message to the listeners. Fitting in with the entirety of what the album presents to us, this optimistic approach to life is perhaps more important now than it ever has been making this album indeed a sign of the times but one that subverts the negativity of the state of the world by instead offering an uplifting glimmer of hope. ‘Go Livio’ is as catchy as it is meaningful with a chorus that you will not be able to get out of your head! Much like ‘Go Livio’, ‘Dan’ also has a memorable quality and is sure to be a hit with crowds when finally, Prowse takes to the stage in the summer for his long-awaited live performances. Its Celtic melody doesn’t let you sit still in your seat and is reminiscent of music that would accompany an Irish jig, once again exemplifying the previously mentioned interconnectedness as it is a song that demands togetherness. 

One Hand on the Starry Plough album Art.

 ‘My Old Black Tie’, the fifth song of the album, is a personal favorite of mine, for the adaptability and sheer strength of Prowse’s voice is revealed through the reduced presence of instrumental variation, beautifully accompanied by the haunting chords of a single violin and guitar, emerging as a soft ballad of poetically-charged lyrics addressed to the presence of a loved one: “Do you remember the walk of shame? When we were so young, I’d do it all again”. Though the song is mostly melancholic in terms of melody, Prowse ensures to end on an optimistic tone, both lyrically and musically: “I’m with you all the way”, a closing lyric accompanied by the distinctively folk-sounding notes of a distant flute that trails off into the sonic distance. 

 As the album is an amalgamation of genres it appears that Prowse has maybe not found his true sound and is still experimenting which can be seen as quite a commendable quality which perhaps asserts that one does not need to be confined to one genre- imaginably a particularly inspiring element for younger musicians.  The album is thematically strong with its odes to many-a relevant issue however, sonically it is somewhat simplistic and borderline repetitive despite its genre-bending qualities. However, this does not distract from its immense feel-good factor that allows for a listening experience that can be joyously shared or undertaken on one’s own for an introspective ponder through the depths of what this album explores. One cannot deny the talent of Prowse and the sheer impossibility to ever grow bored when listening; each song on this album will appeal to every member of the family, accommodating his listenership with a plethora of genre, lyrical variation, and instrumental eclecticism.

Follow Ian Prowse on the links below

Spotify/Facebook/Instagram/Twitter