Martha Hill – “Black Crow”
Photo: Synthy Princey
Newcastle-based singer-songwriter Martha Hill returns to us with “Black Crow,” a song that explores the tension between preserving someone's memory and learning to live without them.
We first became enamored with Martha Hill’s craft upon hearing “Granite Feet,” and we are very pleased to inform you that her gift for turning vulnerability into something warm, tactile, and deeply human remains firmly intact with “Black Crow.” The track initially enters the ears with the gentle strums of acoustic guitar, raw as hell and washed in a late-1960s production. A subtle ambient tone rises in the distance like a delicate ghost, and we find ourselves completely immersed before we hear a single lyric.
That said, it’s Hill’s vocal performance that seals the deal, consistently winning us over each time we hear her voice. The universe has blessed her with a register that is part Haley Heynderickx, part Will Taylor, with a dash of Adrianne Lenker. Her delivery soothes like honey, with a level of emotional integrity that leaves us no choice but to believe every word. In the case of “Black Crow,” she traverses the loss of her childhood best friend, Zoe, whom we all end up mourning by the song’s end.
There are moments here that are so deeply personal they make the listener feel as though they’ve accidentally stumbled across Hill’s personal journal. This kind of songwriting takes immense courage to share with the world, yet one cannot help but respect the catharsis in lines like “I've wrung my proof of you thin but I can still see you move when my eyes are shut.” Add to this the glorious harmonies and you’ve got one of the most beautiful tributes you’re ever going to hear.
Whether it’s the eventual arrival of the bare-bones rhythm section or the way the lyrics open the old, forgotten wounds on your heart, “Black Crow” lands on your shoulder and stays there long after the song has ended. Our blog seldom uses the words “ones to watch,” but Martha Hill is exactly that.