Acclaimed South African ‘Folk Roots’ Guitarist/Singer/Songwriter Nibs van der Spuy released his first solo album, ‘Maiden of the river’ in seven years today, 4 May 2022. Written during lockdown along the Lisbon coast, the album’s ten intimate songs convey a deep message of hope, deliverance, and healing in a world off balance.
Where Lisbon’s Tagus River joins the Atlantic Ocean, set the scene for the colourful canvas for Nibs’ newly written material. With its majestic coastal forts, hidden chapels, pristine ancient gardens and abandoned convents, the inspiration flowed in real-time.
Nibs Van Der Spuy comments
“One could feel the memories of years gone by mixed with elements of nature in the present, and the power of the Creator orchestrating the magic of song. It was also a time when I was missing my mother thousands of miles away in Africa but had the comfort and ever presence of our Blessed Mother.”
Maiden of the River was recorded by Nibs’ dear friend Guy Buttery in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands over December 2021. It features beautiful guest appearances by Guy (sitar), Mark Kilian (Esraj), Shane Cooper (upright bass), Julian Redpath (vocals and atmospherics), Clare Vandeleur (cello) and Quinton Song (flutes).
Nibs Van Der Spuy comments on lockdown and working on the album
“The first lockdown in early 2020 was the longest time I spent on my own. I had just arrived back at my second new home outside Lisbon, and the musical ideas just effortlessly began to flow, almost in perfect sync to the different emotions people were going through.”
“People really started to look inward and to the source and to things which really mattered. I escaped after dark each night on my bike with my guitar and found a quiet spot on the steps of an 18C chapel, perched on top of a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. With people locked indoors and cars off the road, creation really began to sing. The bird calls were more pronounced, and the symphony of the ocean’s roar was joyous.”
You can buy Maiden On The River HERE.
More info about Nibs Van Der Spuy
Nibs van der Spuy is one of the most extraordinary and exciting, world acoustic guitarists and exports to come out of South Africa. Raised in the fertile province of Kwazulu-Natal, Nibs immersed himself in his natural environment to formulate a truly consummate and original sound.
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