Whoever It Was that Brought Me Here Will Have to Take Me Home

Whoever It Was that Brought Me Here Will Have to Take Me Home

Editorial Reviews
What's On in London, January 2004
"An astonishing evocation of the highs and lows life and loving bring . . . richly melodic, beautifully observed. . . Jaw-droppingly good."

Product Description
"Whoever It Was . . ." is award-winning Welsh singer-songwriter-humanitarian activist Martyn Joseph's first US-released CD since Epic's "Martyn Joseph" in 1995, and the 17th release of his 20-year career. Described by two of England's most influential music magazines as "one of acoustic music's most original voices" (Q Magazine) and as "an artist of enduring worth" (Mojo), Joseph left Sony/Epic after 5 highly produced Top 50 UK hits in the mid-'90s, but continued to record and release CDs steadily, eventually through his own British-based label, Pipe Records.

For his first full-length new studio CD in five years, following several EPs for international social justice causes, Martyn recognized that he'd "made a number of political points on various projects in the last few years, and this record just began to form in a more reflective way." So rather than dwell on the specific, his themes here are universal - love and its bittersweet realities, the need for personal activism and faith despite the limitations of human nature - and winningly conveyed by his strong, yearning vocals and intimate acoustic accompaniment. Each of the eleven songs was recorded live in the studio by Martyn on vocals and acoustic guitar, then a little coloration - keyboards, a second guitar, cello, harmonica, occasional backing vocals - was sparingly added. With nine original songs (four of them co-written by longtime Joseph collaborator Stewart Henderson, a Liverpudlian poet), there is a unity of voice, lyrical outlook, and instrumental approach that links! each track into an emotionally satisfying and thought-provoking whole.

For a glimpse of the political side of Martyn's music, Appleseed has appended to this CD two tracks from one of his benefit EPs - "The Great American Novel," written in the '70s by Larry Norman, angrily laments the death of the American Dream, and "The Good in Me is Dead" is a Joseph original from the standpoint of a young Kosovan refugee looking for his family at the country's border.

Joseph, named "Male Solo Artist of the Year" in the 2004 Welsh Musical Awards, combines intelligence, passion and profundity in each of his songs, and his live performances (described by the Boston Globe as "a profound live experience") also display an extemporaneous, crowd-winning sense of humor.

Whoever It Was that Brought Me Here Will Have to Take Me Home

Whoever It Was that Brought Me Here Will Have to Take Me Home,Martyn Joseph,Appleseed Records,Folk,Folk & Traditional,Pop,Strong, burnished vocals, passionate and reflective songs about love, personal and political activism, and questions of faith in a troubled world set to intimate, acoustic-based accompaniment.,Wales

Whoever It Was that Brought Me Here Will Have to Take Me Home
Average customer rating:

A signature recording !

Whoever It Was...

Whoever It Was that Brought Me Here Will Have to Take Me Home
Martyn Joseph
Manufacturer: Appleseed Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music
Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
Welsh Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
Britain | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B0001L3LKY
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Tracks:

Love Is
Where The Angels Sleep
Wake Me Up
Every Little Sign
This Being Woman
Strange Kind Of Friend
Walk Down The Mountain
Just Like The Man Said
Whoever It Was That Brought Me Here Will Have To Take Me Home
The Great American Novel
The Good In Me Is Dead

Album Description

"Whoever It Was . . ." is award-winning Welsh singer-songwriter-humanitarian activist Martyn Joseph's first US-released CD since Epic's "Martyn Joseph" in 1995, and the 17th release of his 20-year career. Described by two of England's most influential music magazines as "one of acoustic music's most original voices" (Q Magazine) and as "an artist of enduring worth" (Mojo), Joseph left Sony/Epic after 5 highly produced Top 50 UK hits in the mid-'90s, but continued to record and release CDs steadily, eventually through his own British-based label, Pipe Records.

Customer Reviews:

A signature recording !.......2006-10-31

Lots of outstanding artists make a range of music for us to listen to and enjoy ( or not ); but special notice must be taken when a gifted musician/artist records what is by any measure : a gem. No, beyond that, what Martyn has produced here is a signature piece. Like Chris Smither (among a select group) this is an album of intelligent writing both lyrically and musically. I dare you to listen & not think....then, to listen again, and again all the while humming along. This is just really good stuff...sorry it took me so long to stumble upon it.

Whoever It Was..........2004-03-21

An incredible album by an artist who just keeps getting better and better...

Not a wasted moment on this album. It's that compelling...

Aside from the 2 bonus tracks at the end which aren't on the UK version, this is not as political as some of Martyn's albums. However, you can feel the emotion and energy behind every track. Martyn has a way of not only putting 1000% of himself behind every song, but he captures the gut reactions and feelings of his audience as well. This album is a must have for anyone who believes in music that reflects life, love, and politics...

Whoever It Was That Brought Me Here Will Have to Take Me Home
Average customer rating:

Martyn does it again

Martyn Joseph - Whoever it was...

The Intimacy Of A Live Concert

Whoever It Was That Brought Me Here Will Have to Take Me Home
Martyn Joseph
Manufacturer: Festival Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Britain | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
Welsh Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0001I1EWE
Release Date: 2004-02-02

Tracks:

Love Is
Where the Angels Sleep
Wake Me Up
Every Little Sign
This Being Woman
Strange Kind of Friend
Walk Down the Mountain
Just Like the Man Said
Whoever It Was That Brought Me Here Will Have to Take Me Home

Album Details

Joseph's 2004 Album is Quite Probably the Most Innovative Collection of Music from Him Yet. Musically and Lyrically, It's Initmate and Unpretentious; Moving and Surprising; Free of Fluff and Cliches. You'd Expect after 20 Years of Songwriting to Be a Bit Short on Great Lyrics and Ideas and Good Tunes, but this Isn't the Case...joseph Is as Potent as Ever!

Customer Reviews:

Martyn does it again.......2004-03-09

with all the dross around it's great to listen to album of such high quality!
Martyn is a man of great musical ability as well as integrity and human insight. He brings all these qualities to the 9 songs on this album. From the haunting ballad "where the angels sleep" to a song about a middle aged woman who doesn't know her worth, the album keeps your attention and, unusually, makes you think. As one of the songs says "my souls asleep, wake me up". Well Whoever it Was definately does that!
Martyn Joseph recently won "Best male singer"in the 2004 Welsh music awards - about time too!!

Martyn Joseph - Whoever it was..........2004-03-04

This album contains nine very beautiful songs. Though a bit on the short side, the entire album hangs together wonderfully as a story or a narrative, with each song playing off of the previous and into the next. I love the acoustic sounds, and Martyn's extreme skill with the guitar come through on each track. Each song offers something unique to the listener, both in sound and message. A combination of thought-provoking, powerful lyrics, Martyn's voice, and the skill of the other musicians highlighted on the album, this cd is money well spent. The cd has hardly left my stereo since I purchased it two months ago!

The Intimacy Of A Live Concert.......2004-02-29

I have always said that Martyn Joseph's concerts communicate to me far better than his studio recordings ever could. I now have to eat my words. His latest album, 'Brought Me Here' has bridged that gap to the point that each track has captured the essence of a live concert.
In January, 2004, I heard Martyn sing all the songs of the album in Banff Alberta. When I took the album home and played it, absolutely nothing was lost. I know this was Martyn's intent. Every track was recorded in its entirety without dubbing.
The songs that Martyn created for this album, either alone or with Stewart Henderson, are among the best that he has recorded. To know, so early in this album's life, what these songs all mean is impossible. All that I know is that everytime I hear these songs, I think I learn something new about Martyn Joseph and I rediscover something about myself. This is particularly true when I listen to 'Strange Kind Of Friend', 'Wake Me Up', and 'Every Little Sin'.
The title song, 'Whoever It Was That Brought Me Here Will Have To Take Me Home' is special. Martyn himself referred to it as his funeral song in front of five thousand fans at the Canmore Folk Festival in the summer of 2003. As he sang the song that day, he stopped in his tracks, caught I'm sure in the beauty of the setting and the pathos of the song. I feel that moment even now each time I play that track.
On February 20,2004, Martyn Joseph was voted Best Solo Artist at the Welsh Music Awards.

When you hear this album, you'll understand why.

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