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RAGAMUFFIN CHILDREN: Seahorse Emporium

Having heard some of the tracks from this second album performed live by Ragamuffin Children a few times over the last year, I had already come to a conclusion: if ‘Werecat Lullabies’ shows their songs of innocence, then ‘Seahorse Emporium’ presents songs of experience – self-aware and knowing. A more mature beauty and eloquence is present here, especially on the aching Better Than Some which has a true depth of emotion. The whimsical naiveté of the debut has been replaced with a polish that enhances the talents of Anita Clarke and Brooke Singer – Clarke’s voice is an instrument of singular beauty, and Singer is honing her fine songwriting skills. The recording and mixing was done in Wellington by Lee Prebble at the Surgery, and his evocative slide guitar on A Fine Storm recalls his lap steel work on ‘The Return of Fly My Pretties’. The lush production of Seahorse Emporium enhances the instrumentation. Special mention must also go to multi-instrumentalist Benjamin James (Spartacus R), and vocalist Karena-Tui Miles-Hemopo, whose clarinet and backing vocals (respectively) are worth the admission price. This is an important step forward for Ragamuffin Children and I cannot recommend this album enough. •

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