Queen of the Meadow - A Room to Store Happiness
Second album by the French folk singer-songwriter Helen Ferguson. “A Room to Store Happiness” is before all a room imagined to collect little moments of joy, so that Helen and her listener can come visit them.
Queen of the Meadow is the musical project of Helen Ferguson, author and composer of intimate and pared-down pieces. With Julien Pras (Calc, Mars Red Sky...) by her side, together they adorn these songs of delicate arrangements. Formerly her guitar professor, he now shares the stage with her to form this Bordeaux based folk duo.
Her first album entitled “Aligned with Juniper” was released in June 2016 on the label Tiny Room Records (NL) and compiled Helen’s very first songs, songs of urgency and catharsis.
After withdrawing herself from the writing process for several months, she was moved by a strong inspiration and finally picked up her guitar once again. She composed “Withdrawn” and this piece set the tone for the rest of the album, as it gave the impulse, the color and the state of mind of the opus. Here, melancholy is certainly present, in the many layers of vocals, in the deep low timbre that Helen’s voice can take (“Empty Room”), in the gentle guitar arpeggios (“Perfect Harmony”) and even in the cymbals which seem to want to take power (“Slumber”).
But “A Room to Store Happiness” is before all a room imagined to collect little moments of joy, so that Helen, and her listener can come visit them. The emotions which are stored there are intimate but luminous, melancholic yet combative. Moreover, the architect of the place has set up many seats to welcome you in. There’s only one door left for you to push...
