(self-titled)

This is an album in which Mumford embraces and forgives his own, to deeply moving effect.

A massive step away from his band's sound and more towards that of his friend and touring partner Nathaniel Rateliff. No one could dismiss Mumford as a lightweight folk tourist after this. [Nov 2022, p.86]

Otherworldly music-box twinkles on the mournful “Only Child,” a gentle midtempo strut rising as the Monica Martin duet “Go in Light” nears self-acceptance — illuminate the close-to-the-bone lyrics while also placing Mumford’s voice in musical contexts that differ from his namesake band’s output. Those subtle differences are just enough to underscore the personal voyage (self-titled) takes.

Mills’ production gives the recordings dimension and depth, inevitably tempering the pain at the heart of the songs.

It feels uncomfortable for me to point out that there aren’t a lot of tunes on this record. This stuff has to come out the way it wants. It’s hardly singalong material. It is – necessarily – heavy. But it also fulfils Mumford’s intention, learnt from Beyoncé, he says, to leave us with hope.