Henry Parker and Ian David Roberts – Chasing Light Review

Folk charms from Henry Parker are expected, anticipated, even. Since the boom of new folk joys following Lammas Fair, the fundamentals of the genre are swinging once more. Parker pairs with Ian David Roberts for a delightful, warm album which relies on the very foundations of what great folk music is. Collaboration, considered experiences of the great outdoors and a calming experience which anticipates the collective emotion of being in rolling green hills. All of this is just iconography, the specifics are far greater and fare well with Parker and Roberts’ infectious charm, heard through Chasing Light. Tender joys feel like an inevitability with folk but it is the conviction with which they are performed, the roots they tug at to get this sound, which lingers as the most important experience.  

And so Chasing Light is full of those enjoyably lush acoustic guitar moments which sound perfect on a colder day, where the sun is still trying to warm the streets but is now in the process of losing the fight. Chasing Light is full of those beautiful moments, the warmth of its instrumental position made all the better by a charming collaboration. A neat back-and-forth is heard between Roberts and Parker, a sway of real spirit and heartfelt ruminations on an album where each artist is given an ear each to perform their acoustic wonders. This is an album built on a shared passion for their similar influences and it makes opening, title track Chasing Lights such a wonderful listen. The simpler the better for an instrumental project like this, dependent as it is on clear and present tones, it would make little sense to fret too much on this sound or that. Parker and Roberts have a consistency as a duo which lends itself to the intimate craft at hand here.  

Listen close and listen well, the joys of Chasing Light are in the little flutters of cover each artist gives the other. The English Dreamers only works as well as it does because there is a mutual desire to take risks with the tools at the heart of Chasing Light, something Parker and Roberts do frequently throughout. Probably as relaxing an album as you can get for the autumn nights. A perfect example of an album knowing its purpose, of musicians with a shared passion for what their listeners will no doubt enjoy also, experiencing the features of one another’s instrumental craft. It is a journey worth taking and for much of Chasing Light, the delicate flutters and skilful back-and-forth makes all the difference.  

Neither artist is afraid of picking up the tempo or dropping back to let the other flourish. It is the boldness of collaboration which hears Chasing Light endure. A piece like Tomorrow’s Garden hears the pair on an ambitious journey through what is possible with acoustic guitar music. Chasing Light could very easily have slipped into a similar-sounding mixture of calming acoustic tones but it is a credit to Parker and Roberts that the tone is a blur of compelling new tones and fitting moves away from the credible core which they build from. An exceptional piece of music, best experienced in those lazy afternoons. A treat for the ears and an effective way to warm the heart of anyone nearby.