Hamish – Singing In My Soul

singing In My Soul’ is a song which seems as if it has already lived a life before it even reaches the listener. First appearing on Hamish’s 1999 debut album Picture In My Bag, the track has the warmth and a rough, natural charm of a recording made with musicians playing in a real room rather than one that has been carefully polished. The song was produced by Les Penning, who is known for his work with Mike Oldfield, and was recorded at the atmospheric Hatfield Court in Herefordshire, where an old oak-panelled drawing room, local musicians and even a wood-fired Aga were part of the unusual environment behind the recording. This background is evident in the music: it has an earthy character and one gets the impression that the song was captured rather than manufactured.

The reason why “Singing In My Soul” has been able to last is that it strikes a direct emotional chord. Since early on Hamish has had songwriting and melody at the heart of his music, and he has drawn inspiration from the great folk and rock songwriters of the late 1960s and 1970s, including Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen as well as Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. The impact of this influence is there, even though the song doesn’t simply amount to an exercise in nostalgia. Rather, Hamish takes over the storytelling approach of those artists and gives it a personal touch, which is why the song has become a hit on the New Zealand folk charts and why it has stayed a favourite at weddings and events for so many years. It has a wonderfully unforced quality; the song doesn’t have to try to attract attention since its emotional nature does that job for it.

There is also a certain satisfaction about the album’s release. After having spent many years travelling with his guitar, Hamish finally issued Picture In My Bag before a remarkable 27-year gap brought about the highly anticipated Significant Others. In this light, “Singing In My Soul” does not seem so much like a return to the past as rather a reminder of the reasons why the music has always endured. At its core the song has melody, personality and real storytelling, qualities which have enabled Hamish to stay in touch with his listeners long after the original recording. It isn’t always necessary for a song to reinvent itself in order to remain relevant; sometimes it is enough for it simply to be honest and to stay with people—and “Singing In My Soul” clearly is.