This latest album from Sharon Knight does not disappoint. It is filled with lush instrumentation and is deeply evocative of other times and places – particularly places where the ocean meets the land. As a water sign (Cancer), I loved this album’s focus on the ocean. The album cover features a beautiful image of the artist herself swimming amidst seaweed and fish, her red hair flowing out behind her. I do miss the days of album cover art, and this cover is a beauty.
Of course, the most important part of the work is the music itself. In the past, I have sometimes felt slightly disappointed by some Pagan music – perhaps the production quality was not great, or the artists felt as though they had not fully realized their potential yet – but I do not feel that way at all about Sharon Knight. Here is an artist who is worthy of recognition beyond Pagan circles. I won’t go into each track in detail; however I will share some thoughts and lyrics on two of the songs.
The album opens with “Into the Myst,” and on the album’s bandcamp site, Sharon writes, “The ocean has always been a liminal place for me. A place to find solace and rejuvenation.” I also felt the presence of Manannan in the lyrics:
“Fathomless the master who rules the murky deep
Shroud me in your silence and carry me from sleep
Gentle rain will soothe me when nightmares won’t subside
Wrap me in your silver cloak and bid your horses ride” (Knight, 2024, Track 1)
In the title track, “Undertow,” Knight sings of going to a deeper place, a place apart from the everyday world, and also reminds us of environmental concerns with the lyric,
“I’ve had enough of your bitter wine
Poison the streams and tell us it’s fine
Let us flee from the churches while their dour bells ring
Let us run in the sand and remember to sing.” (Knight, 2024, Track 2)
The melody and music of this piece make me want to join her in the undertow and to be taken away to a place where the waters are fresh and unsullied.
On Knight’s wonderfully enchanting website, https://sharonknight.net, her music is described as “Neofolk Romantique” and I can’t think of a better descriptor. This is music for those of us longing for another time and place but wanting to somehow remain anchored here in this world, preferably near the ocean. Including Sharon Knight and her partner (and frequent collaborator) Winter, the other musicians on the album are: Nathaniel Johnstone on violin, Diana Rowan on harp, Unwoman on cello, and Caith Threefires on mandolin. The production value is extremely good, and all of these diverse and talented musicians’ instruments blend beautifully with Sharon Knight’s ethereal voice and lyrics.
Admirably, as noted in the Undertow lyrics, this album is not just about the ocean, but about humanity’s pollution of global waters. On the kickstarter website for the album (which was crowdfunded – another testimony to Sharon Knight’s talent and appeal), it states that there will be a stageshow created around the songs to both entertain and educate about these important environmental issues. Undertow does what all great music should do: it both inspires and uplifts while evoking strong emotions, in this case, sharing the melancholy many Pagans feel regarding the potential for destruction brought on by human hands. Please check this important work out if you haven’t already done so.
Sharon Knight’s Undertow can be purchased direct via her website: https://sharonknight.net/hello
Helena Domenic,
2024 Artist in Residence for the Society for Ritual Arts
Helena Domenic is an Associate Professor of Studio Art at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. Prior to Kutztown, she was an Associate Professor of Art History and Studio Art at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania for eighteen years. She is an accomplished painter who has shown her work in Philadelphia, New York, across the United States and in Germany, Egypt, and South Africa. Helena was born in Vicenza, Italy where she was exposed to great works of art from a very early age. After viewing the Sistine Chapel ceiling at the age of eighteen months, her mother predicted she would become an artist. She holds a BFA from Kutztown University, an MA in Art Education from The University of the Arts, and an MFA from Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont. She has also taken courses in Art Therapy from Cheyney University and will be entering Cherry Hill Seminary’s Spiritual Direction program in Fall of 2023. Helena lectures regularly at conferences about art and the sacred, painting, and installation at both academic and healing arts venues. Her interests include antiquities from all cultures, African and Nubian studies in particular. Her art is influenced by artists such as Leonor Fini, Leonora Carrington, Jimoh Biramoe, El Anatsui, Bettye and Alison Saar, and Agnes Pelton. Helena also offers classes in various kinds of art and spiritual studies from her studio in Phoenixville, PA, where she works to create an environment of community and creativity. Helena’s book, An Illuminated Guide to Wicca was released by Schiffer in April of 2022, and is enjoying great sales.
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/HelenaDomenicArt