Review: ‘Called Back’ – John Hinshelwood

Has there ever been a more gorgeous start to an album? I think not! The steel playing in the instrumental Let It Breathe is just beautiful. The record is book ended by two instrumentals whilst the remaining tracks draw their inspiration from the poems of Emily Dickinson, delicately arranged and set to music by Hinshelwood. It brings these poems to life, reigning them, whilst respectfully honouring the original works; the Scottish songwriters vocals, soft in their delivery. Though limited somewhat by the words, Hinshelwood has managed to reflect the themes in the arrangements and musical styles of the songs as the album incorporates country, bluegrass and even Jazz. Beauty and Truth takes on a celtic feel to it whilst stand out track The Sun gives us a touch more of that slide and acoustic guitar. Hinshelwood has done a wonderful job at interpreting these works. In what was a Brave move, he has managed to marry together two art forms and push his own boundaries whilst opening up a world of possibilities.