Folk/Review Eve Goodman & SERA - Natur

Eve Goodman and SERA began working together after they were selected as BBC Horizons Artists in 2019. Both were folk singer-songwriters with rising solo careers, and both had grown up in Caernarfon. Being part of Horizons brought them together, and after just one writing session, they found common ground in their connection to and curiosity around nature.

The North Wales singer-songwriters Eve Goodman and SERA's album "Natur" is a glowing tribute to womanhood, the land, and the cycles that bind them. It seems both timeless and contemporary. This Welsh-language duet, which combines the two artists' unique voices to create something timeless and primordial, exudes intimacy and reverence.

"Natur" is immediately apparent as a folk songbook intertwined with spirituality and storytelling. An album evokes something sacred and unvarnished, while a humorous sea shanty about a Menai Strait mermaid adds a feeling of local myth and nautical magic. From "Anian," a frenetic, percussive hymn about burnout and the contemporary human condition, to a gentle love ballad influenced by a moth's delicate beauty, the duo explores the emotional and natural landscapes of existence. "Bendith," on the other hand, celebrates land, weather, and rejuvenation with a cinematic sweep as it spreads outward into a Celtic blessing.

The album, which was recorded at Wild End Studio in the foothills close to Llanrwst and produced by Colin Bass (of Camel fame), embodies the essence of its surroundings; the sound of wind, wood, and water seems to permeate each track. The creation respects both tradition and experimentation while remaining lush and natural.

In the end, "Natur" is a hymn to connection—between wildlife and women, between noise and quiet, between the past and a sustainable future. Eve Goodman and SERA have created a folk masterpiece that is born out of respect and tenacity; it feels more than just heard.