Back in January we had the pleasure of introducing you to Scottish singer-songwriter Martyn Cuthbert. As we love following the progress of each and every artist we feature, we were happy when Martyn announced the release of his latest EP, The Book of Songs which was released on 4th April 2024.
Consisting of 5 tracks, I think that for anyone new too his music, this is a perfect body of work to showcase his abundant talent as an independent artist whereby he puts his entire heart and soul to create music which you cannot help but feel a deep and special connection with.
So with that in mind, let us take a closer look at The Book of Songs as we delve into it in greater detail. The EP begins with opening track The Ballad of Ravey Jones. Upon first listen, I just love the way the music and lyrics of the song just enhance the playful narrative of the track in such a complementary way.
What Martyn has successfully managed to do with this track with his ingenuitaty as a songwriter. Not only this through effective songwriting he take us that extra step further where we can visualise the life and personality of Ravey Jones with lyrics such as, ‘He's an animal at the wrong side of the cage, Should be a work on Monday, But everyday's his fun day, A lost soul in a world with no regrets’ .
When you really give yourself the opportunity to pay close attention to the lyrics, as a listener you cannot help but resonate with. For example one of my favourite lines from the chorus is ‘Don't you ever welcome, The demons to your home , There's a lesson learned if you turn around, And you look and just say no’. These are the types of lyrics Martyn is taking the opportunity to share some pearls of wisdom to keep us grounded with our outlook in life. Yes Ravey Jones was a law to himself, but being on guard and alert is just as valuable.
Making a great start to the EP, we then move onto the second track, Time Machine. What I really appreciate with this song is the sheer honesty, because as a listener it encourages us to take a leaf out of Martyn’s book and take a reflective look at our life - the highs, the lows, the regrets, and brings it all together in a song where we can just be fully truthful with ourselves. I think what I really respect about this track is also how this song serves as a reminder that none of us are excluded, because taking stock of our life is something that applies to anyone regardless who we are. For instance in the chorus to the song I really admire the way how Martyn begins with the lines ‘We all live, We have regret, We try our best….’.
As a listener, based on my personal experience I can only thank Martyn Cuthbert for giving us all a song which takes us music fans on a truly cathartic experience. So many times I have day dreamed about just wishing I could go back in time just to change my approach to certain things, so to have a song which embodies that to the point where it is a sign of relief that I am not the only one who thinks like that to, is something I am thankful for. We can fall into this trap where we assume or convince ourselves that with the weight of the world on our shoulders we have no option but to live a solitary life, so Time Machine helps us to realise there are others out there who experience the same thoughts that we do.
The third track on this brilliant EP is, Eyes On The Prize. Now what I will say about this song is that it was also the first song which was responsible for me discovering Martyn Cuthbert in the first place back at the start of the year, so it is great to see how this track fits into the rest of the EP. The song has a lot of heart behind it, and lyrically is extremely motivating with lines such as ‘Keep your eyes on the prize, Don't give up, Just open up your mind, To the signs, Don't you wait for, Life to pass you by.’. I remember feeling extremely refreshed when I heard the lyrics to this song the first time round, and can hand on heart say even now as I listen to this song as part of the The Book of Songs EP it just special and revitalising.
All of the songs on this EP have been special in their own way so far, but I must send special praise to the track Red Hair. As guys there is this assumption that we are not very good at sharing our emotions, especially when it is related to positive feelings of love and admiration. Well thanks to Red Hair, Martyn uses this song to pay tribute, appreciation and thanks to his wife in such a sweet and sincere way with lines such as ‘Your one of a kind, Your the glint in my eye’ and ‘She's a sister, she's a mother, she's my lover, she's my best friend’.
I think the strength in this song comes from the fact we are able to take a song like Red Hair and think about those special people in our own life too. Those who take the rough with the smooth, doing there best to tolerate us (within reason of course haha) and are that constant source of encouragement that keep us going. When I hear a song like Red Hair it is a reminder to us all to remember who is our inner circle of trust and just taking those opportunities to give a nod of appreciation and thanks. A small token of kindness, but with a meaningful and powerful impact.
After such a special listening experience, The Book of Songs comes to a close with the final track, Scarecrows. With this track I feel you can really see the unfiltered emotion that Martyn has put into this song has it brings together two key elements - vulnerability and strength. On its own vulnerability can be something which is unsettling because it delves into our insecurities we carry be that mentally, emotionally or physically. However the beauty with Scarecrows is that it is an encouragement to not to be trapped my the fear and break through those barriers that life deceive our eyes with. With lines such as ‘I will go west, through the city walls, I won't be scared of your scarecrows’, Martyn transforms the song into something extremely empowering, which again is a credit to his art as a song writier.
So there we go, my track by track thoughts of the brilliant EP, The Book Of Songs. As a body of work, as I said before this is a brilliant starting point for anyone who is new to the world of Martyn Cuthbert. Each and every track on this EP has plenty of richness and character. It is an EP which will make you think and yes while it may make you feel a mixture of emotions you will nevertheless come out of the side feeling reassured, positive and stronger. Independent artists such as Martyn Cuthbert are an inspiration to us all, and I look forward to see what this talented soul from Scotland has in store for us next.
Available to listen to on all major platforms, check out The Book Of Songs today!
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Article By Thushara Chandrasiri
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