Ange Hardy - The Lament of the Black Sheep (2014)

This is the third album from Somerset singer and songwriter Ange Hardy. Where 'Bare Foot Folk' was about stripping everything back to it's roots 'The Lament of The Black Sheep' is about exploring the surrounding soil. 'The Lament of The Black Sheep' is a collection of original songs inspired by family, tradition, personal experience, and the tales of West Somerset. These are songs of heritage and stories of working the land. Despite not being overtly autobiographical this is a deeply personal album. The album cover is a photograph of her great-grandfather, taken on the same West Somerset farm as the photos of her on the CD and inlay. A number of songs contain references to Ange's family life and formative years. The title track is a retelling of the classic nursery rhyme about the unfortunate black sheep who gives away the only thing he owns and is left cold and alone. "At the age of two my son Luke would sit in the back of the car singing "Baa baa black sheep... wool? No." There was a bleakness in the innocent way he simplified the song that inspired me to look at it from the perspective of the sheep". The album is a journey. The songs are diverse in style and subject, they stand strong along, but even stronger as part of a collective whole.