Blackheart Album Review

Indigo by Blackheart is a thrilling debut album packed full of truly outstanding and thought provoking songs that really tug at the heart strings and in places bring a tear to the eye of even the hardest of listeners. This is an album of top quality songs written and performed by Chrissy Mostyn and Richard Pilkington. Chrissy literally has the voice of an angel. It is such a haunting voice that melts the soul. Richard’s guitar playing is out of this world but is perhaps not given the chance to shine on this album. See the duo live and you will be blown away by his talents. Richard shares the vocals with Chrissy – his voice is gentle and warming to listen to. The pair blend together quite magnificently.

The album gets off to a great start with Wonderland, a song about Chrissy Mostyn’s home town. This song is quite catchy and has a real country feel about it. Richard joins in on harmony vocals whilst Chrissy takes the lead. If you stop and really listen to the lyrics of this song then you will see that they are quite thought provoking and from the heart. The song focuses on how a home town can change so much and how you can love a place even if it isn’t seen as being that brilliant by people looking in from the outside.

Flowers For Tomorrow is a slower song than the opening track and shows off the haunting voice of Chrissy Mostyn. The lyrics of this song talk about giving yourself to a man for the rest of your life. The music is gentle and unobtrusive allowing Chrissy’s voice to really take centre stage.

94 Years is a real tear jerker that I am sure many listeners can relate to especially if they have lost a family member close to them. This song was written about the death of Richard’s father and it is easy to hear in the lyrics that this song was written from the heart with a lot of emotion. Although this song touches on a sad occasion it still appears to be an uplifting song. I feel that this song is more about celebrating a life than regretting that a life has passed and that someone you love has gone. Richard and Chrissy harmonise fantastically on this track. Their voices really blend into one. There is one line in this song that really hits a chord with the listener – when Chrissy sings ‘I want to call you on the phone Dad’. This is definitely a ten out of ten song.

One Of One sees a change in style for the duo as this is a more upbeat song in which Chrissy and Richard share the lead vocals. The chorus is catchy and infectious. Listeners will soon find themselves tapping their feet in time to the music.

Indigo is the title track to the album and it is a brilliant song, worth that accolade. This song was written by Chrissy following her experiences working in the mental health profession. Chrissy and Richard harmonise on this song giving the song an added depth. The music is again unobtrusive yet it has a kind of dark emotional feel to it. The lyrics are interesting and once again very thought provoking. In my head I have already imagined a video for this track, it is easy to do this as the song is so atmospheric and the lyrics are so rich and emotional. There is one line in this song that really hits a chord with me - ‘If god gives us everything will we still want more?’

01204 sees Richard take the lead vocals on a song written about his home town and how it has changed for the worst over the years. ‘You sold yourself cheap like a beautiful whore’ is one euphemism he uses in regards to his home town and how it has changed and not for the better. This song like One Of One earlier in the album has a catchy chorus that you will soon find yourself singing along to.

Somewhere In A Dream seems the mood slowed down once again. This is a live track with Chrissy on lead vocals and Richard harmonising. Chrissy’s voice is more upbeat on this track and has lost its beautiful haunting qualities. This is not a bad thing by any means. It is nice to hear another side to Chrissy’s vocals.

Don’t Look Down is a slow dreamy song. Chrissy’s vocals on this song remind me a little of the late great Eva Cassidy combined with Irish singer Andrea Corr. The music is gentle and almost non existent. This song has a very earthy feel to it.

In America is one of those songs you hear for the first time and go wow. It is a catchy song very different from the other songs on the album. I found this song very anthemic. The chorus is uplifting, hard to resist joining in with the lyrics. This song has quite a fresh feel to it.

Unlike Water is another song that hits you when you listen to it and makes you go wow. This song has everything – it has a very atmospheric quality, Chrissy’s voice is quite haunting on this track and it has a strong folk/rock sound. I am reminded of artists like Clannad and Rock, Salt and Nails when I hear this song. The chorus is quite anthemic and seems to blast out at the listener whilst the verses are quiet and dreamy. The music adds to the atmosphere of this song building up before the start of each chorus for extra feel and emotion. Stunning!

The Darkest Of Days is another slow song with Chrissy taking the lead. Clever lyrics bring this song to life. Richard joins Chrissy on vocals throughout the chorus. The music is barely noticeable allowing Chrissy’s voice to shine through.

The final track on the album is called Blue Flowers For Tomorrow. This song sees Richard on lead vocals. The words are full of anguish and despair. This is an amazing song that brings a tear to the eye once again. This song for me is the stand out song of the whole album. It is just so beautiful even though the song is quite a sad song. Chrissy harmonises on this song, giving it more depth and emotion. A knock out song.

Over all this album is spectacular – it is jam packed with little gems that show just how talented Chrissy Mostyn and Richard Pilkington are.