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The songs range from the self-composed title track to a slinky piece from Boo Hewerdine and a couple of ballads from that fine veteran Edinburgh songwriter Sandy Wright, which are as unashamedly emotional as great country songs. A classy set.
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It’s all quite understated and beautifully played, and any shortcomings in the material are more than made up for by Drever’s peerless singing.
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With a more complex sonic palette than his debut, Mark The Hard Earth contains a number of absolute gems.
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Drever’s voice is well-suited to the lyrical sincerity of the album but avoids being overly earnest. While sometimes a bit sentimental, Drever’s gentle declarations of loyalty are charming rather than trite.
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Mark The Hard Earth is a solid enough album but perhaps not the masterpiece that Drever fans were expecting. The man seems incapable of recording a duff track, but there are just a few moments on this album where he seems to take the easy route.
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An extremely mellow album, while hardly groundbreaking, it’s quietly beautiful in places.