Dinny has been on the Glasgow scene for a while now and her credits include being the drummer for Cajun band Zoot le Shoot and bass player for dance act Cube. Now, this one woman rhythm section has expanded her instrumental range, gone solo and released her début CD.
The first track "Ghost", opens like a 60s spy thriller theme with an understated rhythm pattern, and adding to that Harry Palmer vibe is the zither which adds a stripe of instrumental colour. Within the body of the song, strings underpin sultry, breathy vocals which quote from the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner. The CD is book-ended by another classical literature inspired song, "Kubla Kahn" that opens with an unsettling eastern violin phrase which continues to drift throughout the track over a minimal and eerily hypnotic bass and drum pattern. The mournful gypsy violin solo, beautifully played by the classically trained Sandie Bishop, closes the track, perhaps mourning the loss of utopia?
The last time I saw Coleridge being given a writing credit for lyrics, it was on an Iron Maiden record; thankfully this is no greasy, leather and spandex Metal record, but an engaging and cinematic slice of electronica. The wide palette of sounds tip the hat to Dinny's influences such as the Eurythmics, Kate Bush et al, without ever becoming pastiche. Dinny uses these sonic colours to paint grand soundscapes and draws the listener in whether it the dark tale of "Ghost" or the breezy "Bright and Clear". Central to the whole CD is Dinny's expressive voice, at times a seductive whisper, at others working as a resonant narrator. Entrancing stuff.