Her Skin – I Started A Garden Review by Graham Finney
Listening to opener “Bones”, it doesn’t take long to realise that these nine songs see Italian singer-songwriter Sara Ammendolia, aka Her Skin, baring her soul through the music on her UK debut album. Reading the Italian reveal that it took almost three years to complete this album, only furthers the proof that this is the work of someone who pours every ounce of her heart and soul into her art.
Beautifully delicate but, at the same time, packed with passion, “I Started A Garden” is an honest delve into the life and experiences of Her Skin. “I am aware that I’m not the same person I was when I started working on this record, but that’s what makes it so special to me. It’s an album about the lessons I learned, the people I loved, the time it took me to heal.” explains the singer when talking about the inspiration behind the nine songs. Evident on each and every track, Her Skin takes a sometimes brutal appraisal of those experiences for example on “older” where she states “I’m sorry if I hurt you but we did this whole thing wrong” where it feels like both an apology and the closing of just one chapter in her life.
The whole album is a soul-searching, honest appraisal of Her Skin’s life, experiences, regrets, and healing process and there is not one moment, whether it be the moderately upbeat “Sober” or the mournful “Heavy Hearted” where this display of emotion feels anything less than a 110% genuine.
Throughout the album, Her Skin’s tender voice is steeped in sadness and regret. “I thought I had everything under control” she admits on “Forget Me” one of the latter tracks on this incredibly powerful album and, while listening to these songs, it might seem to be the case, you come away from this album wondering if this debut album is just the beginning part of a healing process for Ammendolia?
Listening to Her Skin stating “these days I feel that I do nothing right…” on “Confident” is a heartwrenching experience and one that we’ve all felt. However, in the case of this wonderfully emotional album, Her Skin can sit back in the knowldge that this is very much not the case.
Find out more about Her Skin on her Instagram Page
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