So, is it wrong for album to be nice? To be melodious and calming. To be at odds with the maximum volume, looped to the beat of the computer trends that attract corporate sponsorship and radio airplay in these coldly calculating days. Most certainly not and “Pink Stone” by Wren is the proof of that.
In fact, I think it has been quite some time since I have heard an album that could legitimately called enchanting. That’s no mean feat and it is to Wren’s credit that she does this whilst staying, in stylistic terms, well within the normally restrictive bounds of the Americana genre. Sentiment abounds, as you might expect, but this is not the kind of sentiment borne of a rose tinted obsession with yesterday but instead it is the kind of sentiment that once powered both folk and country music into the ears of the many. It is sentiment distilled until it is 99.9% pure before being diluted into these ten easy to consume and enjoy songs. Ten songs and all enchanting. I feel a sigh coming on.
Wren has a voice that drifts over your critical senses and, with suitably supportive musicians there to hold her spiritual hand, she turns “Pink Stone” into the kind of album that will always welcome you back.
Best song? The wistful “Wandering Queen”.
The verdict? Pastel is the shade of today.