Single Reviews

Single Review: The Gentle Good – While You Slept, I Went Out Walking (Gwymon Records)

By | Published on Monday 24 November 2008

The Gentle Good

In many ways, The Gentle Good could be the Welsh Mull Historical Society. There’s a shared story: a one man band makes very personal music, all of which earns adoration from critics and broadcasters in their homeland, but never quite grasps the attention of discerning music fans elsewhere in Britain. Where Gareth Bonello, under the guise of The Gentle Good, differs from Colin MacIntyre (aka Mull Historical Society) is in his style, choosing a delicate folk blend of finger-picked guitar, cello and harp that doesn’t quite match MacIntyre’s power pop tendencies. The quality is just as high though, with Bonello’s voice a tender beauty that is graceful in English, yet even more intimately exquisite when singing in Welsh. Yes, Bonello does follow the lead of such compatriots as Gruff Rhys and Cerys Matthews by offering some Welsh language lyrics – blissful accounts of unknown (to these ears) quantities that really need no understanding to appreciate. The album’s title is easier to make sense of though, and encapsulates what this album exists for. It’s the soundtrack to sleep, lulling and gentle, but also perfect for a crisp morning walk through leaves and frost, as your nose stings and you pull your jacket tighter. Just mind the hedgehogs. TM

Buy from iTunes
Buy from Amazon



READ MORE ABOUT: |