Album Review: The Halcyon (Original Music From The 2017 Television Series)

“We knew the excitement was bound to begin
When Laura got blind on Dubonnet and gin
And scratched her veneer with a Cartier pin
And I couldn't have liked it more”

The main reason for getting your hands on the soundtrack to the ITV series The Halcyon is for Beverley Knight’s highly spirited and hugely seductive take on Noël Coward’s ‘Marvellous Party’. I start with this, lest you think that I’m recommending Jamie Cullum to you (he has two tracks on here, specially recorded for the show) - his appeal having long eluded me. 

The rest of the album is filled with Kara Tointon’s rather lovely voice sliding over classics from the first half of the twentieth century and Samuel Sims’ original compositions for the 1940s drama. You might not think it’s particularly worth searching out if you didn’t see the show but in all honesty, even if you’re just a bit a fan of the era then it is worth a listen and a download or three.

There’s a slight oddity too with the track used as the theme song being included here – the moody, almost Massive Attack-like ‘Hourglass’ is a slinkily effective tune, with a great vocal from Tracy Kashi and a gorgeous orchestral swell, but it’s an incongruous selection nonetheless, especially considering the rest of the material here. 

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