BEN GODDARD Hearts and Arrows (album review)

If Hampshire has been making any headlines this century, it has certainly not been for its musical output. Its football clubs, for various reasons, have been the source of much excitement, while its MPs have not escaped expenses shame. But on a musical level, bar providing Razorlight with a drummer and the emergence of Southampton-based synthers The Delays, it is fair to say Hampshire has not been a musical epicentre since the millennium.

One musician bucking this trend is Ben Goddard, a young singer-songwriter who has been spreading his gospel of acoustic guitar-led funk balladry across venues in the south for years. Still only 21, ‘Hearts and Arrows’ is the soulful first album from the Hampshire songsmith, on which he tips his hat to Jason Mraz, John Mayer and others who have shaped his distinctive style. The eight tracks display impressive musical variety, reaching dazzling peaks when indulging Goddard’s penchant for hip-hop pop on numbers such as ‘The City’ and ‘So Good.’

His accomplished guitar work, meanwhile, shimmers throughout and is complemented by a soaring vocal which delivers in exquisite style on ‘With You,’ a standout track buried late in the album that could surely take the singer songwriter onto a greater stage. That song is undoubtedly the best example of Goddard’s skill for delivering slower songs which still manage to maintain an energetic and interesting guitar line. Other ballads on the album, such as ‘Hearts and Arrows’ also shine, but seeing Goddard perform you get the impression it is in funkier tracks such as ‘The City’ that his main appeal lies, an avenue he has admitted he may pursue more heavily in the next album.

One constant that characterises the album is its unerring ability to marry enough musical ability to satisfy the purists with the quality of listenability required to appeal to a broader audience. This is undoubtedly a consequence of the experience he has accumulated through a number of collaborations with other local performers over the years. Now Goddard has taken the plunge alone, however, only time will tell whether the performer, one of Hampshire’s own, will attract recognition on a bigger stage. But the strength of this diverse and immensely enjoyable debut offering certainly bodes well for the future.