Alex Etchart - Seeds Are Sewing 
Release Date: Out Now
“I’m a British Uruguayan singer mixing folk traditions with a splash of soul”. That’s how you grab my attention by giving me something I’ve never read before and offering me something I’ve never heard before. Then you find out that the album is entirely a cappella and features 60 singers from 3 different choirs and was recorded in 2 days. Colour me intrigued. The album, ‘Seeds Are Sewing’, opens with the title track performed in collaboration with the Fire Choir and immediately you get what this about – melodies and messages performed using the one instrument we all have but in a way that gives you multiple layers to explore. ‘Bountiful’ is a sweet, welcoming and genuinely warm song that fills your soul up with positivity and a sense of belonging while ‘Pronte’ brings Murga Queer to the party for a Latin inspired song that ebbs and flows with an electric energy.
Once your ears and expectations attune to the vocal only songs, you can really lean into songs like the blues inspired ‘Lay My Burdens Down’ or the ode to living in the moment that is ‘Drink It In’ and luxuriate in the layers of voices that support and lift up your soul. Indeed, on ‘I Will Make Space’ there is a very clear political and ideological message of inclusion but if you’re not in the headspace for that then you can just sprawl out on the many gathered voices like a soft green lawn in the summer. There’s a doo-wop meets soul vibe to ‘Crazy Lovin’’, giving Etchart’s voice a chance to really show off before ‘Way Back Home’ gives a song steeped in the traditions of folk singing and communal healing with the hand-claps and choir singing carrying you back to where you want to be.
I’d challenge anyone to find a more refreshing and uplifting album in 2025 and the penultimate track, ‘Shine’, brings the Fire Choir back for the kind of gospel performance that will have you swaying from side to side and clapping your hands in celebration. The Fire Choir hang on for ‘People That Hold Me Together’ and we finish the album on a song of thanks, gratitude and reflection – something we could all do with spending more time on these days! This is an album that truly demonstrates the power of music to unite, uplift and empower people so brave to Alex Etchart and to every one of the voices involved in this album. Stunning.
More information: https://www.instagram.com/alexetchart/reels/