Album Review: Mel Parsons - Glass Heart

Mel Parsons' steady but exceptional output is proof that a little is all it takes to make a big impact. The New Zealand country-folk songstress has bestowed three albums’ worth of thought-provoking and rousing music starting with debut Over My Shoulder in 2009. Each has brought with it a stripped back narrative that lets Parsons’ voice shine, and the space she leaves around her and her guitars, echoes the isolation inherent in the geography of the South Island’s south-west, her native home. There’s a distinct upswing in the general sentiment and attitude of album number four, Glass Heart, but there’s plenty of those lovely bittersweet moments of melancholy.

Whether you like country-folk of not, you’re going to get a humble dose of it on this album. I Got The Lonely, Just 'Cause You Don’t Want Me and Come Over Lover all favour a bright, fun jaunt along melodic lines with Parsons putting some force behind her normal breathy lilt. But the ebbs come with flows, and the folk tempers the subtle country twang. The more inner-looking and sparse tracks (Blame, Glass Heart, Deadwood, Breaking) seem to have a slight chill to them, but a warm dose of Parsons’ ruminations seems to melt it away.