“First impressions/Are not to last” Goes the lyric from this crackin’ wee E.P’s title track; and I’m glad that they aren’t. My memory of first meeting the lovely Von Day was somewhat rough. It was a Wednesday night at the Ronnie Purvis-ran Society Sessions, downstairs in the Empire. There was an initial exchange of words, the exact details of which escape my mind, but we had a wee go at eachother and I was left feeling like she was somethin’ of a witch! And maybe she is… But yes! The impression did not last, as I was immediately struck by the emotional impact of her voice when she took to the stage. She’s got a wee bit of magic about her, all right, a gift, which she duly shares with the audience: the way it should be.

I’ve given this E.P a good few listens now and it’s lovely stuff; folky strummed song-structures with meaningful lyrics carried by a very natural voice – she’s managed that meanest of mean tasks for the Northern Irisher – to let her own accent flow through her singing without it sounding God-awful! I can’t think of many others that carry it off, Mary Coughlan(a southerner, I know!) springs to mind, as does West Belfast DirtPoet Acoustic Dan Gregory. Anyway! Here we go, I’ll take you along, track at a time…

Track one: The Start of Something New is a great opener, the bare-bones of the song are a clipped single-beat strummed verse with initially questioning lyrics “Are you scared/Or just excited?” We’re then treated to inspiring little couplets of joy – “Close your eyes/Make a wish/Count to three/There’s nothing to it/If it’s meant to be.” Weaving below and above Von’s voice are some nice touches of piano and a quietly throbbing electronic sound that’s somewhat reminiscent of U2; there are some lovely underlying vocal harmonies also, barely discernible, but very effective. The overall aural effect is lush and deep. The dynamics are well constructed, extra layers of sound mounting as we build into the uplifting chorus – “Say what you feel/Mean what you say//This could be the start of somethin’ else.” Yes. A classy opener. Von signs off with a delightful little Jimmy Page-ish guitar riff. Lovely Stuff.

Track two! ‘Oh Mercy.’ This one kicks in on an off-beat guitar pattern with a hint of jazz in the feel. The vocals are smooth and insistent, imploring the listener to “Take advantage of the comfort that you find.” as”Every day/Is an uphill climb.” True words, for most of us. We all have our ups and downs, and none more than the artistically inclined. Von tells us “It could rain at any time,” a notion we’re well used to in this country, soppy summers soiled by sun’s subtraction –  very familiar. We are told to “Take each day as it comes,” something I personally have come to live by in recent times. They teach it to ragged alcoholics and  stick-thin drug addicts in recovery, but it applies to us all. There are some nice strings put to good use on this number, dramatically enforcing the refrain – “Every day is an uphill climb.” A melancholic reminder, but one that rings true.

Now! Track number three. We’re ushered in with a nice locka chords, strummed sparsely, a sequence faintly familiar. A merrily plucked banjo then takes us by the hand, leading us into this cosy little sound-cavern. A jaunty wee setta hands clapping through the chorus helps things along. Von tells us a story, the details of which I’ll not spoil for you. She seems to excell in this area, keeping us goin’ with little snippets of a life lived who-knows-when. There are a few tasteful piano stabs throughout, choicely placed; aswell as some more of those echoed vocal harmonies. “Oh mercy/Tell me where to begin,” goes the wistful refrain, a throwback of the head, a look to the skies for some kind of guidance perhaps. She’s in good humour here, I feel. Singing this kind of song is maybe where she’s most at home.

Final track. Here we go. The closer. ‘Faith.’ I’ll not harp on much about the music here, other than to say that Von sings her lyrics very meaningfully. I’m tempted to type the words of this song out vertabim, but, once again, I’ll leave the treat for the listener to discover. As a fellow creative, I connect with this song so very much, I can’t overstate that.”Only I/Control my destiny,” “I’m free to make my own mistakes,” “Don’t try to tell me I am wrong,” “Please have a little faith in me.” It all touches me. The song builds sonically with what I think might be cello, bowed nicely and some accordion-type sounds towards it’s culmination. A great track, really very nice.

There we go, a track by track guide: an there’s not a bad one on it. Just my opinions and feelings, that’s all. I’ll finish by saying that I did meet Von a second time, downstairs in the Student’s Union, and this time she was very pleasant! I suppose like alot of us introverted writers/singers/painters you could catch them in any mood any old day of the week. As the lyric of ‘Different’ goes “It could rain at any time/ It might snow/Your guess is as good as mine!”

You can get a wee listen to this beaut at – https://soundcloud.com/siobhandaymusic/sets/the-start-of-something-else and keep up to date with gigs and appearances on her facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/von.day.16?fref=ts