Review – Hilary Bix   

Nicola Clark – The Dagger & the Dove

As a live performer, Nicola is a must to see. I have seen her bring silence to a rowdy pub session with her beautiful voice and later have everyone in fits of laughter with a well-crafted, irreverent song. I wondered whether the strength of her performance would transfer to a recording.  

I love this CD. All the tracks on “The Dagger and the Dove”, were written by Nicola over a 17 year period and are dedicated with a - ‘thank you to those few men who have inspired these songs’. I suppose you could say they are about seeking, finding, falling and not falling in love with tenderness, heartbreak, fun and humour. 

Nicola’s clear, pure, voice rings out from the very first track, accompanied by her very accomplished, guitar playing. Unlike many singer/songwriters whose words and melodies are very similar, these songs are very varied in pace and rhythm, light and shade, and are perfectly suited to her voice. They vary from the sensitively crafted, “ I’m Falling for you,” a song that was written to be performed at a cancer charity event, to, “The Unicorn”, risqué, irreverent, and great fun. 

Nicola has, for several years written for a revue group, Kulture Brake and the tracks, “Smart Arse”, “Having a Laugh” and “The Unicorn” have a delightful touch of the Music Hall reminiscent of some of the songs of Jake Thakeray. 

Other tracks, like the slightly bluesy, “Wind will always blow” and, “Always For You”, accompanied only by a drum, are thoughtfully and poetically written. 

Nicola is a poet, songwriter and performer and the lovely, CD booklet artwork is also hers. Go to her myspace sight on the internet where you can hear 4 tracks from this CD, find out where she is performing and read the following description from west country songwriter, Mike O’Connor - "...she occupies that area between Purcell, Edith Piaf and Arthur Askey."…. and then buy the CD 

SURPRISE DELIGHT IN CHURCH HOUSE   

The December concert in Church House was both a surprise and a delight.

Nicola Clark, who had travelled from Camborne, sat and watched us, waiting to start. She wore something long and black. Her dark hair hung in two waist-length pigtails. Dark-rimmed glasses and a stud in her nose completed, for me, an uncertain mystery. But she had a confident twinkle in her eye, which belied her appearance and we were soon left in no doubt. We were treated to some 80 minutes of word and song, seemingly spontaneously telling of her move about eight years ago from London through Dorset, slowly in a camper-van, her apparent many lost loves and finally, her acceptance in a Cornish village. All told and sung in a quiet, eloquent way which was wholly delightful and indeed mesmerising.

Nicola accompanied herself on a guitar and an Indian instrument like a gigantic mandolin, which emitted what, to my untutored ear, was a drone! This, she explained, she learned to play in an ashram in India. An altogether wonderful evening.

Church House concerts are organised and chaired by Andy Frangleton. They are little gems. Long may they last.

JC