The mystique that surrounds the short career of Nick Drake undoubtedly adds to the fervent worship that greets his work today. Just three studio albums, no video or live recordings and few interviews, the cult of the folk icon gathers critical acclaim not only from his body of work but from the sympathy for his debilitating depression and ultimately, his lonely demise at the age of 26. There is a definite sense of what might have been had he been able to overcome his demons, but the listeners are left with a few still pictures and a body of work that imbues a sense of doomed romanticism that feels timeless, making it easy to understand the continued reverence he is held in to this day.
Discovered by Fairport Convention's bass player Ashley Hutchings and signed to Island Records via Joe Boyd's Witchseason production company, Drake’s debut album has a uniquely rural English charm that combines his intoxicating vocal performance with an acoustic guitar style that is both imaginative and technically gifted in equal measure. Robert Kirby fleshes out the sparse autumnal soundscapes with orchestral arrangements that deliberately create a counter melody that drifts in and out of prominence, and yet never dilutes the singer’s world weary musings. Veteran composer Harry Robinson steps in for the highlight, and possibly Drake’s best song “River Man”, which perfectly bridges the composer’s metronomic guitar line and the transitions between major 7ths and minor chords with a succinct yet vital string accompaniment. The prophetic irony of the lyrics to “Fruit Tree” suggests the dreadful slide into depression that Drake would eventually succumb to. His whispered baritone burr on “Day Is Done” and “Time Has Told Me” portray a poetic sage well beyond his tender years.
The public indifference to this and subsequent recordings would embitter Nick Drake for the remaining six years of his life. The resignation to his feelings of isolation and insecurity would dominate later recordings, and in many ways “Five Leaves Left” marks the start of the journey into the shadowy wilderness that would envelop his artistic career and ultimately his life, and for that reason will always be a unique, often remarkable recording.
8/10
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