Blue is the most recent release from Irish artist Amy Blake, granddaughter of one of the members of the most famous Irish Trad bands of all time (The Chieftans), who puts her Celtic folk traditions aside to provide us with a jazzy take on the feelings of yearning for home, immersing us in a specific moment in time, where we can reflect on “love, loss and acute feelings of hopelessness.”
With Blue, we’re able to examine our minds and hearts and find the answers to the questions: is home a person? A place? A building? Amy wrote this as a representation of her time living as an expat in Canada, where she experienced conflicting emotions surrounding separation from home, which is exacerbated by the “inevitable losses that come with time.”
She achieves her goals quite easily, by capturing a moment and feeling so well and carefully, that we’re able to step in her shoes and see the similarities within our own lives, in order to help us grow. With Blue, Amy Blake invites us to just feel, and there’s no other way to be when you’re listening to such a powerful song.
The vocals in this song do more than just tell us the story: she has an emotional quality to her work, that allows her to give us all of the body aches she sings about, but in a gentle way that gives us the strength to push forward, through the beautiful strings, piano, and bass that pulse their way towards a brighter future.
If giving Amy a hug were possible, it would be suggested: though the second best is to listen to the song and feel along with it.
Written by Yannick Mirko
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