'From Where We Stand' is the debut CD from Ward Thomas, the latest home-grown country superstars. Hailing from Hampshire, the 20 year old twin sisters Catherine and Lizzy Ward Thomas have created a real stir this year, with their single 'Push For The Stride' gaining a lot of airplay in the last few months, and catapulting the girls to centre stage.
The album although written entirely in the UK was recorded in Nashville, as the girls have been country music aficionados since their early teens, having been raised on a diet of Johnny Cash, Carrie Underwood and the Dixie Chicks. That said, despite the fact that country music is a genre that is American dominated, the girls have managed to come up with a remarkable hybrid – a country record that retains its own unique Englishness, with stories that are very close to home.
Opening with 'Push For The Stride', the girls hit the ground running. This was an excellent choice of single, and the right track to start off with, with honky tonk piano and lyrics that talk about going after your dreams, this is the perfect up tempo hit: “With the wind at your back and the sun at your side, take the bull by the horns and ride/ You gotta push for the stride. It wins the race every time/ So when you're low on steam but your aim is high, you gotta keep your eye on the prize/ You gotta push for the stride. It wins the race every time”.
With such a great start, it would be easy to go downhill from here, however, this album is certainly not a case of eleven filler tracks wrapped around one hit. One track which really shows their ability to wrap a good (and heart rending) story around a great tune is 'From Where I Stand', a tale of the twins' parents' divorce. Part piano ballad, part anthem, the lyrics have a childlike simplicity that manages to grab the listener every time: “I can remember shouting, and I can remember slamming doors/ And I remember seeing signs/ Holding it all inside me, trying to read between the lines”.
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'Take That Train' is another great track, an up tempo country number, with a story of sadness behind it, yet realising that every setback carries with it the seeds of opportunity, the chance to do something different in future: - “It’s good to see you eat so well. Was she talking to me? Well I couldn’t really tell/ She smiled at me and I could see a story taking shape behind her eyes/ As the train pulled out she explained to me ‘bout an unwanted girl and a pregnancy/ But at 17 I couldn’t be the mother that I’m trying to be now... The tragedy she shared with me is now my opportunity/ To take a view and make the wrong things right/ I wish I had the words to say to encourage her but she walked away/I’m so glad she told me all of this”.
This is a remarkable debut, and one that will delight country fans and interested parties alike. It is certainly worth investing in.
Buy Ward Thomas online
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