Evidently, Louise Jordan takes her music very seriously indeed. Having, according to her press material, given up a successful career in the city to pursue her vocation, she not only sings and plays all the instruments (guitar, piano, cello) on Tempvs, she also recorded and produced the album.
Louise is an accomplished instrumentalist. Her Dougie MacLean-esque guitar picking is a feature of the album, thoughtfully accompanied by subtle piano and beautiful cello. Her ornamented, polished and rather plummy voice fits well with this style. Many will find it beautiful, but an equal amount might struggle to find character within. Overall the sound is smooth, soothing and gently paced.
Downbeat opener World Weary flows pleasantly enough, but is a rather unadventurous introduction. Unfortunately, many of Jordan’s own compositions suffer from a rather one-dimensional tone. Lyrically unengaging, too many of them blend together musically. Little Redrobin muses on the titular bird’s confusion without really going anywhere, Peaceful isn’t a particularly affecting love song, and Born to Wander is another ambiguous affair.
Things improve on Louise’s traditional arrangements. She gives a successful, stately reading of Salley Gardens and her classical-sounding version of William Taylor is different and full of drama, particularly when the pistol is called for. Her version of Lowlands of Holland, however, fails to really convey the song’s tragedy.
The ’classically trained’ approach is certainly an interesting and different one to take with folk music, and Tempvs is not without its successes. Ultimately, though, its slightly clinical, hesitant delivery lacks a certain earthy quality - it’s very impressive, but it’s hard to feel moved.
