Martyn Joseph

The folk world has never fully embraced the Welsh singer-songwriter Martyn Joseph - perhaps never forgiving him for having a hit with a song about dolphins 15 years ago. That`s a great shame because, with a voice reminiscent of Ralph McTell, Joseph encapsulates many of folk`s old values with stirring songs of social issues and yes, even protest. The "The Welsh Springsteen" tag may be somewhat of a misnomer, but he`s a brave and engaging live performer and this is a courageously sparse, stripped-down and entirely solo work which finds him revisiting and reinventing some of the songs that have helped bring him thus far. Among them, the prostitute`s defiance in Working Mother, the miscarriage of justice resulting in the hanging of Dic Penderyn in 1831 and the bewilderment of the miner`s son in Please Sir are all the more dramatic when delivered with such stark bareness.

Colin Irwin **** - MOJO magazine

Welsh singer-songwriter Martyn Joseph is one of Britain's most underrated talents. He had a hit 25 years ago with a song about dolphins and seems to have been filed under "wet" ever since. In reality, he's a challenging songwriter and a compelling courageous live performer. This forthright album - cleverly balancing a menacingly Spartan production with angry vocals, broody electric guitar and stirring narrative songs - demands reclassification. Strange characters weave in and out of its colourful human scenarios. The title track is the story of a lonesome cab driver, while The Fading of Light is a modern Desolation Row and Nobody Loves You Any more a coldly fierce epitaph to a shamed leader - just fill in your own name. But it's the musical spaces Joseph daringly inserts which make the difference, giving the album its brooding tension and intensity.

Colin Irwin - MoJo Magazine - March 2008 - MOJO magazine

The folk world has never fully embraced the Welsh singer-songwriter Martyn Joseph - perhaps never forgiving him for having a hit with a song about dolphins 15 years ago. That`s a great shame because, with a voice reminiscent of Ralph McTell, Joseph encapsulates many of folk`s old values with stirring songs of social issues and yes, even protest. The "The Welsh Springsteen" tag may be somewhat of a misnomer, but he`s a brave and engaging live performer and this is a courageously sparse, stripped-down and entirely solo work which finds him revisiting and reinventing some of the songs that have helped bring him thus far. Among them, the prostitute`s defiance in Working Mother, the miscarriage of justice resulting in the hanging of Dic Penderyn in 1831 and the bewilderment of the miner`s son in Please Sir are all the more dramatic when delivered with such stark bareness.

Colin Irwin **** - MOJO magazine

This, the 30th recording by the “Welsh Springsteen”, marks an artistic milestone. The set compellingly revisits 15 of the Cardiff-based singer-songwriter’s finest creations, not only in celebration of their durability but also to chart just how much they’ve evolved since they were written, having been honed into shape through many years of continuous performance. For, as Martyn plainly yet modestly admits, in many cases his earlier recordings of these songs bear little resemblance to where they reside artistically today.

The cover artwork for evolved symbolically illustrates Martyn effectively taking a wrecking ball to his original takes on these songs, granting them a fresh new atmosphere in which to breathe more freely – thereby forging a newly definitive statement of their essence. In doing so, Martyn has never sounded better. Quite literally, this disc stops you in your tracks. For here, stripped down to basics (voice plus guitar, with occasional harmonica), is all Martyn’s trademark fieriness of delivery, choked with pure emotion, the uncompromising gravelly intensity and total passion and commitment of his live performances, in a recording that captures for all time the immediacy of his presence and the sheer power of his writing.

Martyn has produced a canon of strikingly unforgettable songs which together embraces a consistency of vision and an unwavering integrity, an awareness of the bigger picture alongside a true, and detailed, understanding of the issues within. This is strongly in evidence whether through the aching vulnerability of love songs like Turn Me Tender and Have An Angel Walk With Her, his depth of sympathy for This Being Woman (portrayed with an uncanny sensuousness), or the painfully honest self-therapy of Weight Of The World. Through the politically charged anger of the tale of folk hero Dic Penderyn, and the string of Wales-centred masterpieces including Sing To My Soul (focusing on the Aberfan disaster) and the almost unbearably poignant Cardiff Bay, Please Sir and Proud Valley Boy (which employ heartfelt dignity to portray Martyn’s interaction with his heritage).

The collection is encased in a suitably innovative package too, its hardy slip-case containing song lyrics on individual art-cards. In a nutshell, this has to be Martyn’s most essential album – both in the literal sense, and in the sense that of all his records it most accurately conveys, in the course of just over an hour, the essence of Martyn’s towering achievement in his chosen field. - Properganda magazine (UK)

Martyn Joseph is one of few performers whose music deserves to be described as compelling.
He manages to make the marriage between words and music seem unbelievably easy.

Listening to his songs, they just seemed too huge to be able to take in all at once.
Torn between following the stories in his lyrics or the melody...It was a tough call (the only compromise was to buy a copy of the album after the show, and listen again to those moments missed).

Just one of the songs that stood out in this way was “All This Time”.

Talking about how it takes such a long time to feel comfortable in your own skin, Martyn also spoke of the evolution of his songs and how they changed over the years as he had performed them live.

This was why he had decided to record new acoustic versions on his latest album, Evolved, he said.

His songs “ Please Sir” and “Strange Way” were also striking, if only for his voice, which was surprisingly powerful, and for those seeing Martyn perform live for the first time, something to remember.

In between songs Martyn told us of his time on tour – including performing with Shirley Bassey at a venue where he was criticised for wearing denim – travelling in Canada, and how easy it is to write songs for ladies. A discussion about why guitar players are so interested in the strings their heroes use also ensued, after a bit of retuning forced Martyn to replace a broken string (for the record, he uses Elixir).

He certainly put the audience at ease. Although there was a large chunk of the MJ faithful there (they were singing along even before he asked for help on backing vocals) the rest were not afraid to join in. Martyn was obviously impressed likening the sound to having your own choir.

With such a warm reception at what was a sell out gig, the prospect of an enchore seemed obvious.

Written by Kate Steaggles
- Acoustic magazine (UK)

This, the 30th recording by the “Welsh Springsteen”, marks an artistic milestone. The set compellingly revisits 15 of the Cardiff-based singer-songwriter’s finest creations, not only in celebration of their durability but also to chart just how much they’ve evolved since they were written, having been honed into shape through many years of continuous performance. For, as Martyn plainly yet modestly admits, in many cases his earlier recordings of these songs bear little resemblance to where they reside artistically today.

The cover artwork for evolved symbolically illustrates Martyn effectively taking a wrecking ball to his original takes on these songs, granting them a fresh new atmosphere in which to breathe more freely – thereby forging a newly definitive statement of their essence. In doing so, Martyn has never sounded better. Quite literally, this disc stops you in your tracks. For here, stripped down to basics (voice plus guitar, with occasional harmonica), is all Martyn’s trademark fieriness of delivery, choked with pure emotion, the uncompromising gravelly intensity and total passion and commitment of his live performances, in a recording that captures for all time the immediacy of his presence and the sheer power of his writing.

Martyn has produced a canon of strikingly unforgettable songs which together embraces a consistency of vision and an unwavering integrity, an awareness of the bigger picture alongside a true, and detailed, understanding of the issues within. This is strongly in evidence whether through the aching vulnerability of love songs like Turn Me Tender and Have An Angel Walk With Her, his depth of sympathy for This Being Woman (portrayed with an uncanny sensuousness), or the painfully honest self-therapy of Weight Of The World. Through the politically charged anger of the tale of folk hero Dic Penderyn, and the string of Wales-centred masterpieces including Sing To My Soul (focusing on the Aberfan disaster) and the almost unbearably poignant Cardiff Bay, Please Sir and Proud Valley Boy (which employ heartfelt dignity to portray Martyn’s interaction with his heritage).

The collection is encased in a suitably innovative package too, its hardy slip-case containing song lyrics on individual art-cards. In a nutshell, this has to be Martyn’s most essential album – both in the literal sense, and in the sense that of all his records it most accurately conveys, in the course of just over an hour, the essence of Martyn’s towering achievement in his chosen field. - Properganda magazine (UK)

Even when touring a new album, there are so many songs
that Martyn Joseph just has to squeeze in, so when the new
album, Evolved, comprises new recordings of back catalogue
it should be easier. He played thirteen of the fifteen songs on
the album, many of which are longstanding fixtures in his
set, added some other favourites, a couple of songs from the
dustier corners of his repertoire plus two brand new ones.
The first involved Martyn digitally triple-tracking his guitar
and resulted in a broken string -just desserts for showing
off, some might say, though he even makes changing a string
entertaining.

Like the new record, Martyn's live performance was tight
and controlled, the self-deprecating humour was there as
were some anecdotes I hadn't heard before but it was only
on his last number, 'Change your World` that he set off on
an extended (and very funny) rap about his day while his first
encore, 'Vegas` allowed him to indulge his Elvis impersonations.

Martyn has finally succeeded in his ambition to make a
studio album that sounds like a live performance and for
part of this show at least, his live performance sounded like
the record. As this sell-out show confirmed, however, there's really no substitute for the live experience. - Rock n Reel Magazine (UK)

Joseph provided at least two good ideas for this record - the first is to revisit songs from his back catalogue and bring them up to date; given the weight and accumulation of experience gained in playing the songs time after time, he and they have evolved. This idea is simple and obvious but as many performers (and their audiences) only strive to reproduce the studio version, it is a progression. The second idea is to have a separate card for each song with the lyrics and a photo to illustrate the song, and this gives the package the air of something special and makes the argument for the CD over mp3. Joseph is a songwriter as rooted in his landscape as Hardy was with his novels, his Welshness nowhere clearer than on ‘Sing to my Soul’ that has the dark spectre of the Aberfan mining disaster hanging over it; then there’s ‘Proud Valley Boy’ that laments the loss of the industrial infrastructure that gave Wales generations of proud working men, the passion and force of the delivery revealing the depth of the feeling.

Away from Wales and the mood changes. ‘Arizona Dreams’ is less impassioned even if he does still rail against society changing for the worse. There’s always passion underscoring these songs whether it is for a country, a person or a concept; he realises that it is easy for someone to be brought to their knees by another as ‘Can’t Breathe’ shows and as the ‘Weight of the World’ crushes us all in some way there has to be relief. The delivery is so fervent that you hardly notice that it is just Joseph and his guitar. The destruction of the traditional way of life breathes fire into the Welsh dragon whilst love steals his breath away. He is always heartfelt, and ‘Turn Me Tender’ takes the prize - the limited colouring of voice and guitar is not a limiter but a liberating shot of tenderness. He closes with a hymn to ‘Cardiff Bay’: a fond look back with warm nostalgia rather then with invective, it’s a fitting end to a record where Joseph rejuvenates his own career and discovers that he’s created a legacy. - Americana UK

Even when touring a new album, there are so many songs
that Martyn Joseph just has to squeeze in, so when the new
album, Evolved, comprises new recordings of back catalogue
it should be easier. He played thirteen of the fifteen songs on
the album, many of which are longstanding fixtures in his
set, added some other favourites, a couple of songs from the
dustier corners of his repertoire plus two brand new ones.
The first involved Martyn digitally triple-tracking his guitar
and resulted in a broken string -just desserts for showing
off, some might say, though he even makes changing a string
entertaining.

Like the new record, Martyn's live performance was tight
and controlled, the self-deprecating humour was there as
were some anecdotes I hadn't heard before but it was only
on his last number, 'Change your World` that he set off on
an extended (and very funny) rap about his day while his first
encore, 'Vegas` allowed him to indulge his Elvis impersonations.

Martyn has finally succeeded in his ambition to make a
studio album that sounds like a live performance and for
part of this show at least, his live performance sounded like
the record. As this sell-out show confirmed, however, there's really no substitute for the live experience. - Rock n Reel Magazine (UK)

SUNDAY evening at Galeri and an opportunity to enjoy the inspiring talents of Martyn Joseph who many consider Wales’s leading singer songwriter and he didn’t disappoint, writes MARTIN EAGLESTONE.

Currently touring with a new CD called Evolved, the show reflected the musical, poetic, artistic and spiritual journey that Joseph has taken over many years.

The set often reflects Martyn’s long-standing work with the poet Stewart Henderson and the crafting of words and music reflect that long-term creativity – but the live experience is uniquely Martyn Joseph.

Having now produced 30 CDs which has seen Joseph build an appreciative audience who know they’re in the telling of a story, the expression of an emotion and the passionate delivery of ideas that each concert has a unique value.

It draws them in to sing, laugh and cry.

The focus of the concert was the reworking of a number of older numbers such as Cardiff Bay, Strange Way, Dic Penderyn along with songs from more recent CDs including Vegas, Proud Valley Boy and Can’t Breathe.

So Joseph led us through stories of Paul Robeson visiting Wales, Aberfan, the struggle of the miners, a taxi driver in Las Vegas, even working with Shirley Bassey – all experiences set in an artist with Welsh roots, but who has a global perspective on social justice.

Galeri was created to provide us with this sort of opportunity and our challenge is to make sure enough people turn up to share the live experience of artists like Joseph.
- Caernarfon Herald (Wales)

SUNDAY evening at Galeri and an opportunity to enjoy the inspiring talents of Martyn Joseph who many consider Wales’s leading singer songwriter and he didn’t disappoint, writes MARTIN EAGLESTONE.

Currently touring with a new CD called Evolved, the show reflected the musical, poetic, artistic and spiritual journey that Joseph has taken over many years.

The set often reflects Martyn’s long-standing work with the poet Stewart Henderson and the crafting of words and music reflect that long-term creativity – but the live experience is uniquely Martyn Joseph.

Having now produced 30 CDs which has seen Joseph build an appreciative audience who know they’re in the telling of a story, the expression of an emotion and the passionate delivery of ideas that each concert has a unique value.

It draws them in to sing, laugh and cry.

The focus of the concert was the reworking of a number of older numbers such as Cardiff Bay, Strange Way, Dic Penderyn along with songs from more recent CDs including Vegas, Proud Valley Boy and Can’t Breathe.

So Joseph led us through stories of Paul Robeson visiting Wales, Aberfan, the struggle of the miners, a taxi driver in Las Vegas, even working with Shirley Bassey – all experiences set in an artist with Welsh roots, but who has a global perspective on social justice.

Galeri was created to provide us with this sort of opportunity and our challenge is to make sure enough people turn up to share the live experience of artists like Joseph.
- Caernarfon Herald (Wales)

WITH 30 albums under his belt, it's surprising that Martyn Joseph is not
better known.

He's been called the Welsh Springsteen. He performs with similar passion, humour and a keen understanding of the trials and tribulations of 'ordinary' people.

There are always diversions a
snatch of George Harrison's Here
Comes The Sun, U2's With Or Without You, a poem by Dylan Thomas or a Presley impersonation during Vegas.
Some nifty guitar effects too.

His 30th album, Evolved re-records
staple songs that "have grown stronger, bolder and command more attention than when they were birthed".
Familiar songs lost none of their
integrity - Sing To My Soul, Dic Penderyn, Please Sir, Working Mother, Turn Me Tender...

It's nowhere near stadium rock
(although he recalls how he briefly and unwisely supported Shirley Bassey on an arena tour) but he is The Boss for that loyal group of enthusiasts in the know. - Sheffield Star (UK)

MARTYN JOSEPH is a force of nature who puts his heart and soul into every song he sings, whether it be a tender love song or a raucous rocker.

He sings with a vein-bulging intensity – his voice big enough to fill one of the green valleys of his Welsh homeland, yet delicate enough to tickle the strings of a Celtic harp.

With his muscular strums and clever guitar riffs, Joseph is a one-man rhythm section and, as a stage performer, he is an inspired improviser. His song Vegas, for example, included a brilliant impersonation of Elvis Presley.

Joseph is a great believer in the power of song to highlight injustice and express what it means to be human. Dic Penderyn pays homage to a working class martyr; the poignant This Being Woman celebrates the female of the species; Please Sir is a lament for the once mighty coal industry; while Proud Valley Boy was inspired by American singer Paul Robeson’s visit to Wales.

Joseph is an intuitive performer. The foundations of his art are truth and beauty, with a hint of the spiritual. It was all there during his gig at the Leeds Irish Centre, where he was celebrating the release of his 30th album. His encore showed the singer’s two sides – Working Mother, an anger-fuelled rocker about the plight of an away-day prostitute; and Turn Me Tender, a sublime lullaby where he waltzed with his guitar around the stage before kissing it goodnight.
- The Press (UK)

WITH 30 albums under his belt, it's surprising that Martyn Joseph is not
better known.

He's been called the Welsh Springsteen. He performs with similar passion, humour and a keen understanding of the trials and tribulations of 'ordinary' people.

There are always diversions a
snatch of George Harrison's Here
Comes The Sun, U2's With Or Without You, a poem by Dylan Thomas or a Presley impersonation during Vegas.
Some nifty guitar effects too.

His 30th album, Evolved re-records
staple songs that "have grown stronger, bolder and command more attention than when they were birthed".
Familiar songs lost none of their
integrity - Sing To My Soul, Dic Penderyn, Please Sir, Working Mother, Turn Me Tender...

It's nowhere near stadium rock
(although he recalls how he briefly and unwisely supported Shirley Bassey on an arena tour) but he is The Boss for that loyal group of enthusiasts in the know. - Sheffield Star (UK)

Martyn Joseph is often
described as a Welsh
Springsteen - he was
thrown off a Shirley
Bassey tour for wearing
denim - but on this set, he
sounds more like a Welsh
Show Of Hands. singing
folk ballads of the
dispossessed. Single
mothers commute from
Leeds to work as prostitutes
in London; victims of ethnic
cleansing haunt the
Balkans; a Welshman is
framed for injuring a
soldier in an 1881 riot and
hung. Not a cheerful set,
but written with craft and
ines through. performed with passion. - Financial Times (UK)

Martyn Joseph is often
described as a Welsh
Springsteen - he was
thrown off a Shirley
Bassey tour for wearing
denim - but on this set, he
sounds more like a Welsh
Show Of Hands. singing
folk ballads of the
dispossessed. Single
mothers commute from
Leeds to work as prostitutes
in London; victims of ethnic
cleansing haunt the
Balkans; a Welshman is
framed for injuring a
soldier in an 1881 riot and
hung. Not a cheerful set,
but written with craft and
ines through. performed with passion. - Financial Times (UK)