Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog

I have always been against people signing in English if it isn’t their mother tongue because often the emphases and pronunciations leave a great deal to be desired. So I cannot castigate Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog for performing this entire album in their native Welsh – I do wish they has seen fit to issue a translation into English though because they sound as though the lyrics will be well worth listening to!

Musically this is wonderful; a mix of Country, Folk and indie with some superb playing and heartfelt vocals that hit the same sort of spot as Neil Young when he isn’t berating the world.
‘y ffenast’ is a beautiful and reflective piece with Iwan singing in a keening and pure voice. You wouldn’t believe that his fellow band mates – his brothers – Aled & Dafydd last played in a heavy metal outfit Eryr but here they are playing with real finesse and subtlety.
The title number is a country romp with harmonica and slide steel guitar and once again Iwan’s voice, delicate and just keeping its own above the music and ‘gan fy modi i’ is deliciously melancholy with a huge and thunderous drumbeat emphasising the doomy atmosphere.
‘ffarwel i langyfelach lon’ is the track I found myself going back to time and again with atmospheric guitars and a lonely and barren landscape in the music and when the vocals come in there is a folk tinge to their sound – probably the most complete song on the album and already on my iPod.

Production is by David Wrench and he has done a great job in keeping Iwan’s voice in the forefront.

At the end of it all it doesn’t matter to me whether they are singing in English, Welsh, Urdu or gibberish if the whole package works and makes me want to listen to them; singing in their native language is obviously important to these boys – these cowboys - and it enables them to create an album that really hits home. Diolch bechgyn.