Saltings is an album of ten illustrations by Tom Knight and ten songs by Matt Simpkins created in and about the ‘saltings’ of Essex. It is a loving portrait of the mystery and beauty of this salt marsh wilderness, and a meditation on the real human cost of the wilderness time of the pandemic.
Found within 50 miles from London, the saltings are one of England’s last natural wild spaces. Working as a parish priest a few miles away, Matt came to the saltings to retreat and compose these compelling and compassionate songs about his community’s real-life experiences during the pandemic. Saltings portrays hope found amid wilderness.
The album weaves together tales of the legendary and mysterious figures of the saltings, such as John Ball (leader of the peasants’ revolt) and Saint Cedd (whose Saxon chapel stands at Bradwell), with reflections on the wilderness’s ever-changing tides, skies, and seasons. Saltings is an attempt to share the atmosphere and history of this remarkable place in picture and song.
Get Saltings HERE or through antigen records HERE
REV SIMPKINS 