Bethan Marshall is somewhat of a departure for Zang Productions, a completely different proposition to their usual unusual brand of intense, philosophical hip-hop. The label that gave the world an album recording the musings of triplets and Benjamin Blower’s holy rantings show the other side of the coin here with an album entirely free of artifice or pretension. The music is stripped bare, often relying on little more than vocal and gentle acoustic guitar. Oh, and gorgeous melodies.It’s as if Nick Drake and Vashti Bunyan had a passionate liaison, packing the kid off to Sunday School after the birth, instructing her not to come back until she had an album’s worth of wonderful music. 'Now When You’re Near' showcases this well, a gentle, pastoral song where her vocal is totally untreated, free of reverb and deceit. When accompanied, it is usually sparingly, 'Day of Grace' featuring a back-bone of percussion from University of the King’s Kevin Toms. Benjamin Blower’s double bass is also a welcome addition, looser and springier than an electric.Lyrically, the songs talk of regret, through ‘Wishing Wells’ lament for “all the spilt milk and wasted time I spent like pennies in the well”, and a search of a higher answer to life. 'Dandelion Clocks' asks, “you feel your time passing you by, you don’t know the answer, do you want to know why” in a tale of spiritual longing. The stunning 'Ocean Song' shimmies and shuffles, whilst Unrequited is a darker track, redolent of Joni Mitchell with a folkier rhythm to the guitar.It all ends as gently as it began, with 'Oh Its Raining', a passionate, personal song, a bittersweet take on the rigours of life. This is an album entirely devoid of the usual charades and tricks that dominate most modern music. There are no effects here, no affectations or studio trickery. Instead, an album of contemporary folk songs, sung and performed with an easy charm, charisma, and buckets of talent. 81%Links Bethan Marshall [myspace] [label]