Real Roots Cafe - The Netherlands
REVIEW BY: Fred Schmale See Original review in Dutch: HERE ENGLISH TRANSLATION by DeepL
Marisa Yeaman, born and raised in Australia, settled in The Hague, near Scheveningen, after the release of her first full-length albums in 2010. Her early work – Pure Motive (2006), Roadmap Heart (2008) and Voices from the Underground (2011) – was so well received in the Netherlands that she decided to make the move permanent. We wrote about that last album in our café at the time.
After a few years in The Hague, she came across a special house in France, close to the medieval town of Semur-en-Auxois. A long, characterful building measuring thirty metres, it became her new home in 2019, together with Tim, the contractor who is welcome everywhere. When I visited her in 2023, she played me the rough versions of new songs with visible pride.
With our own all-rounder B.J. Baartmans, she began working on a new album. Now, after a fourteen-year hiatus during which other projects took precedence, it is finally here: a compelling, carefully crafted record. Yeaman's warm, soulful voice and Baartmans' broad palette of strings and keys form the backbone of this work. He plays guitars, dobro, mandolin, bouzouki, piano, bass, electric sitar and blues harmonica, among other instruments, and also provides backing vocals. Rob Gaboers (grand piano, Hammond B3, Fender Rhodes, accordion), Tom Baartmans (bass guitar), Sjoerd van Bommel (drums and percussion) and Marie-José Sonneveld Didderen (cello) also contribute. Together they create a sound that is rich without being overloaded, intimate without remaining small.
The lyrics – written entirely by Marisa herself – are raw and honest, with no sugar-coating. In the strongly autobiographical “The Distance”, she reflects on her life in Burgundy: “Now I’m living in another time zone on the edge of Paris… It’s a new home and I’m growing again into a new skin.” The images are tangible: the lavender field behind her house, the winding country roads, the silence of the French countryside compared to the vastness of Australia. The line ‘I'm ten hours apart, in a slow dream wishing you were here hanging in my kitchen’ hits the nail on the head: a longing that doesn't fade, no matter how new the new home is.
I could go on for hours about this unexpected gem, but it's better to listen for yourself. Order the album — you won't regret it. In December, Marisa will also be appearing in Hidden Christmas Deluxe, B.J. Baartmans' project. Check out the dates and prepare to be surprised. - FRED SCHMALE
Le cri du coyote- France
REVIEW BY: Sam Pierre See Original review in French: HERE ENGLISH TRANSLATION by DeepL
Marisa Yeaman is Australian, and has shared the stage with some of the biggest names in music ( Tom Russell and Chris Smither, for example). She crossed oceans to find a home in the Netherlands, before returning a decade later to settle in a French village near Semur-en-Auxois, a charming little town in Burgundy. She has released three albums, Pure Motive (2006), Roadmap Heart (2008), and Voices From The Underground (2012), demonstrating that she is a singer-songwriter to be reckoned with, blending folk and rock, blues and jazz. She is also a visual artist and published her first book in 2019.
While she has never strayed far from music, it took thirteen years for her fourth album, Weather The Storm (2025) , to finally satisfy those who had waited all that time. She has not forgotten her Dutch musical roots, and we can only agree with her when we know that it is the excellent Bart-Jan "BJ" Baartmans (well known to fans of Iain Matthews and Matthews Southern Comfort) who was chosen to produce the album (in addition to that role, he plays a whole host of instruments: acoustic, electric and 12-string guitars, mandolin, dobro, baritone guitar, bouzouki, piano, bass, electric sitar, blues harmonica, plus some vocal harmonies). The other musicians also hail from the land of tulips and Van Gogh (which I mention not by chance, as Marisa was commissioned to compose a song for the museum dedicated to the painter, in Amsterdam): Rob Gaboers on various keyboards and accordion, Tom Baartmans on bass guitars, Sjoerd Van Bommel on drums and percussion, and Marie-José Sonneveld Didderen on cello. Marisa takes care of the rest, armed with her acoustic guitars, singing (very well) the eleven tracks she wrote and composed.
A few notes of acoustic guitar, a voice chanting "one, two," and off we go with Love Is The Gold , a beautiful ode to life and nature. The vocals are full of sensitivity (with BJ 's voice responding on the chorus), the swaying arrangements are exquisitely crafted and perfectly showcase the composition. The following track, Mansion On The Hill (with very moving lyrics about the illness of a loved one) showcases Rob Gaboers on the Hammond B3 organ and we know from then on that we are dealing with a record among those that will matter this autumn.The Distance is autobiographical and shows that the choice of Marisa, now living in a different time zone, not far from Paris, doesn't stop her from thinking about those she left behind on the other side of the world, concluding: "So think of me when the sun fades, you know I'm not really that far away and the distance could never keep us apart " . The theme of distance also reappears in Innocent Beauty a little later on. I won't go into detail about all the tracks, most of which are at a moderate tempo, sometimes with a more rock-oriented orchestration ( It's a Long Road , Hold On To Me).
I will, however, mention the truly beautiful Vermeer's Clouds (to which the cello and mandolin lend an almost visual dimension), proof of Marisa's attachment to the European country that first welcomed her.
Weather The Storm is a veritable plea for a life where kindness and love are the best weapons to face the storm; and War Is Raw . The album ends with another moment of great beauty (featuring harmonica and dobro), Born Innocent (" We are all born innocent in this world, we all bleed the same blood "), which brings the album full circle by echoing Love Is The Gold, where Marisa sang: " The human heart is born innocent, why do we not see it? "
Buy this album, which is, for me, one of the very best of the moment. Above all, read the booklet (or, failing that, check out the lyrics on Bandcamp) and you will understand, as I did, that Marisa, is a remarkable folk singer with just the right amount of blues in her voice, and who composes and writes like few others know how, and she concludes her liner notes with this wish: " May love learn to raise its voice louder than hate ".
Rootstime- Belgium
ENGLISH TRANSLATION SeeOriginal Review in Dutch: HERE
The Australian singer-songwriter Marisa Yeaman released a particularly beautiful and timeless singer-songwriter album in 2012 with Voices From The Underground, and now, so many years later, she has done it again with the equally lovely Weather The Storm.
For fans of timeless singer-songwriter albums, there’s currently an abundance of choice — which unfortunately means many albums in the genre slip through the cracks. It would be a shame if this happened to Marisa Yeaman’s new record, because, just like its predecessor, her new album is truly beautiful. The musician, who now lives on a small lavender farm in a tiny French village, has once again crafted a beautifully arranged record, easily shifting between genres. The tasteful sounds fit perfectly with Marisa’s warm and lovely voice, and once again she convinces with her refined and varied songs. This album is simply far too good to overlook.
Her albums Pure Motive (2006) and Roadmap Heart (2008) were my first introduction to Marisa’s music. After taking a break from touring, she earned a degree and published her first book in 2019. With her third album, Voices From The Underground ,she firmly established herself among the best in the genre and reached a high position on the Americana charts.
That same year, she was invited to write and record a song for the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, which was also part of another project with the Groninger Museum. Voices From The Underground sounded like a timeless singer-songwriter album — one that was not only good but also remarkably versatile. So it was no surprise that I was truly delighted when her new album appeared — and it’s another excellent record.
Her new album, Weather The Storm, was recorded during a nine-day session at Studio Wild Verband in the Netherlands — more like a reunion of old collaborators and friends than a formal session — and it marks a powerful return for this Australian singer-songwriter across 11 self-penned songs.
As mentioned, she was joined by only a handful of musicians — most notably producer and multi-instrumentalist BJ Baartmans, whose musical contributions added a stunning range of texture and emotion to the project. BJ’s guitar playing is a prominent feature, but he also added dobro, mandolin, baritone guitar, bouzouki, harmonica, and even electric sitar, along with tasteful harmonies.
Marisa contributed her acoustic guitar and her warm, sensitive vocals, accompanied by Sjoerd van Bommel (drums and percussion), Tom Baartmans (BJ’s son, on bass), and Rob Geboers (piano, Hammond B3, and keyboards). Rob’s vintage piano playing is particularly moving on Innocent Beauty, where he evokes the 1940s perfectly. There’s also cellist Marie-José Sonneveld-Didderen, whose contribution on Vermeer’s Clouds makes it one of the most emotionally gripping moments on the album.
The result is a richly varied album. Once again, Marisa Yeaman has created a timeless-sounding singer-songwriter record that draws on a range of influences, though folk and Americana are the most prominent, closely followed by country, blues, and jazz.
Right from the first listen, it’s striking how warm — even glowing — Weather The Storm sounds. Most songs, rooted deeply in personal experience, are moderately paced and performed with restraint. Occasionally, as in It’s a Long Road things pick up intensity, but throughout the record, the playing is exquisite, often featuring beautiful, multi-colored guitar work.
The first single, the title track, will resonate strongly with many listeners — speaking to the ups and downs of life and the sense of safety that comes from knowing you can survive whatever life brings, because you’ve already weathered the fire once before:
Lyrics excerpt from Weather The Storm:
There is a bond that binds – there is a love unique
In the deep of the night – I hold you close to me
If the morning light brings warning – if the world should ever leave us torn
I know with you beside me, we can weather the storm.
I need no golden palace – the treasure lies in your soul
It’s happiness that we are saving – to shelter us as we grow old
Everything this world will give us, could be taken back before the dawn
As long as we’re united, we can weather the storm.
So batten down the hatches, baby – buckle up for this wild ride
It’s one short life we’re given – and honey, how time flies… (lyrics continue as in the original)
Just before the COVID crisis, Marisa and her husband moved to France, where they settled happily, though they worried about the wellbeing of their family and friends back in Australia. This shows that the distance between hearts is small — something beautifully expressed in The Distance.
Thanks to the timeless nature of the songs and the refined arrangements on Weather The Storm, the album wraps itself around you like a warm blanket. This comforting feeling is further enhanced by Marisa’s vocals — distinct, warm, and full of emotion and precision — perfectly complementing the album’s elegant sound.
Weather The Storm may not receive the widespread attention it deserves, but it’s undeniably an album that radiates quality and will be deeply appreciated by lovers of timeless singer-songwriter music and beautiful female voices.
ROOTSTIME - Belgium
Rootshighway - Italy
REVIEW BY: Marco Restelli See Original review in Italian: HERE ENGLISH TRANSLATION by Google.
(OUTSIDERS) To better understand Marisa Yeaman 's new work, it's enough to know that her last album, Voice From The Underground, dates back to 2011. Recording-wise, therefore, a sort of geological era has passed during which the Australian songwriter literally changed her life, first moving to France, then dedicating herself to her studies and even writing a history book. When she had decided, in 2020, to start recording new music again, the pandemic put everything on hold, delaying the project.
Recently released, Weather The Storm belongs to that category of Americana-style albums that, for a variety of reasons, risk going unnoticed given the abundance of competition. I think that would be a real shame, given that it is characterized by a disarming sincerity that follows a path of fragility, resistance and hope. From the soft opening of "Love Is The Gold," the singer-songwriter reminds us that true wealth lies not in possessions, but in our gaze: it's the ability to see the perfection of the world before our fears obscure it. In a luminous ballad, the author denounces the walls built between people, greed, and modern blindness, contrasting the innocent heart with ancient wisdom. The result is a light and necessary hymn, where the only gold that remains, and that saves, is ultimately love. "Mansion On The Hill," on the other hand, is a sort of farewell letter to a wandering musician, one of those who experienced the road as a ritual and song as an act of love. A moving tribute, suspended between mourning and gratitude, to those who continue to play somewhere beyond the horizon.
One of the singles, among the most radio-friendly, is "The Distance ," which speaks of the love that endures even when life takes you far away and forces you to start over in another part of the world. Marisa Yeaman recounts the struggle of separation, new habits, and memories that return as the seasons change. In this longing-filled distance, the hope is that every ending can become a new beginning. The more lively title track is certainly worth mentioning, exposing daily challenges and the strength of bonds, as time passes quickly but affection remains strong, transforming every note into a musical tale that blends emotion and concreteness. Innocent Beauty It's my absolute favorite song, both for its melody and its acoustic arrangement. The lyrics are about a soldier far from home at war, nostalgically thinking about freedom and the young son he left behind, a son he'd never met.
Recorded in Holland (Must Have Music released the album for the European market), Weather the Storm marks the return to music of an artist with stories to tell, a deep voice—one whose timbre is very reminiscent of Rosanna Cash's—and, above all, songs that fans of Americana will undoubtedly appreciate.
Bluestown Music- The Netherlands
Review by: Gerard Haarhuis (Dutch) HERE ENGLISH TRANSLATION with deepl.com and edited by Kees and Marisa Yeaman
Label: Must Have Music – Continental Record Services
After a long break from the music business, Marisa Yeaman felt the urge to get back to work end started writing songs for a new album that now lies in front of us: ‘Weather The Storm’. It was recorded at Studio Wild Verband in Boxmeer under the inspiring leadership of none other than BJ Baartmans, who also plays a large part of the accompaniment on various instruments, being the multi-instrumentalist that he is.
The full line-up consists of: – Marisa Yeaman – vocals and acoustic guitars
– BJ Baartmans – acoustic and electric guitar, 12-string guitar, mandolin, dobro, baritone guitar, bouzouki, piano, bass, electric sitar, blues harmonica and also backing vocals!
– Rob Gaboers – Grand piano (grand), B3 Hammond, Fender Rhodes, accordion.
– Tom Baartmans (son of BJ) – bass guitars
– Sjoerd van Bommel – drums and percussion
– Marie-José Sonneveld Didderen – cello
The album Weather The Storm is available via Bandcamp but will also be released on 17 October (2025) on the Must Have Music label, which is distributed in the Netherlands by the well-known Continental Record Services.
The first single from the album, The Distance, has already been released. The cover is remarkable! Marisa is sitting on a windowsill with her guitar, looking outside in bright daylight. That's one way to make a cover. It's a photo that makes you feel cheerful and happy and makes you want to discover what's inside the cover, the album!
Just as attracted as we are, we begin with a collection of 11 songs.
Love Is The Gold and here we go. Beautiful, clear intro. We are always searching, often finding the wrong thing and only later discovering what really matters: Love Is The Gold! Beautifully sung and with lovely male background vocals. Marisa's powerful, uplifting voice, and the song ends very softly with a repeating Love Is The Gold, accompanied by fantastic guitar and a ‘small’ harmonica. Gorgeous!
It's a well-known title, but here it's by Marisa Mansion On The Hill , and BJ Baartmans is quite the musician! The music world is a small world, we all know each other, it's impossible to keep secrets. Marisa has already lost many colleagues who were such an inspiration to her. And when even a friend revealed his serious illness to her, Marisa began writing this song, Mansion On The Hill, I can only say that this song is simply perfect. It hits you right away and stays with you! What other beautiful things can we expect from Marisa Yeaman and BJ Baartmans and co.?
The next song, The Distance, was written under Covid lockdown in France, where she had only just moved from Australia. Living in a different time zone, and all you can do is send a card home to say not to worry. And although she was safe in her new ‘home’, part of her heart was ‘loved ones’ in Australia...! Beautiful piano, functionally fitting percussion. Very nice. Beautiful lyrics!
It's A Long Road, a good heavy drum-intro and stabbing guitar in a beautiful song about our tendency to just write off ‘our elderly fellowmen and women’ in advance. Women in particular don't know how to hide their wrinkles! Shame on us! How dare we label people like that. Snot-nosed kids – (GH!) – A total lack of awareness of the wisdom that comes with all that life experience. A statement, and still that swampy drumming! Fortunately, a truth that cannot be escaped!
Empires Build is about the fact that every step we take is a step in a development. I often refer to this because there is no more fitting example than the song‘De Steen’ by Dutch artist Bram Vermeulen: ‘I moved a stone in the river, the water now flows differently than before’. Marisa points out the consequences of climate change and our ‘blindness’ to wanting to see the consequences! Beautiful, slow, almost threatening percussion at the beginning of the song, after which Marisa sings about the fact that ‘empires build and crumble’ and that ‘there’s times of peace and change’. Indeed, sung beautifully slowly and carefully, full of responsibility for the subject. And in every song, that wonderful guitar playing by BJ Baartmans!
Weather The Storm, the title track of this beautiful album by Marisa Yeaman, teaches us that whatever happens in our lives, we always have the opportunity to bounce back. After all, we still have each other. Always! Beautiful, melodious intro with keyboards and guitar, as if a storm, (or stormy weather) is coming... no matter how time flies, followed by delightful music, Marisa's vocal, BJ’s background vocals, and once again I am amazed at how perfectly such a song is performed. Marisa doesn't believe in fairy tales. She knows that it comes down to a little kindness, a little understanding for each other, so that we always come out stronger after Weathering the Storm.
Marisa lived in The Hague in The Netherlands for a while, so... she often hopped on her bike and cycled to the Mauritshuis to admire Vermeer's 'View of Delft’. That painting made such an impression on her that she returned to it regularly. And inspired her to write Vermeer’s clouds. A leading role in this song goes to Marie-José Sonneveld Didderen on her cello, a beautiful instrument with a sound that I always feel as flowing blood through our veins! So strong, so warm! Vermeer's Clouds!!!
In Hold On To Me, Marisa describes a news photo showing a boy about to jump off a bridge in London and bystanders trying to stop him. And there are more photos and events like that where, standing close to someone or something, there is at the same time an almost insurmountable distance. That's why Hold On To Me. Intensely sung, heavily arranged, with drums and keyboards and background vocals to cry out for ‘Help’, as it were...! Hold On To Me.
Innocent Beauty, a beautiful title in itself. A story about her grandfather who went to war, WW II, in the Pacific. He left the family farm when Marisa's father was three years old, and apart from a short leave, her father did not return from the war until four years later! Many years later, Marisa finds some of her grandfather's old belongings and realizes how much something like war changes people. They go into war as young, inexperienced ‘Innocent Beauties’ and come out with scars and calluses on their souls. A beautifully story, summarized in five minutes!
Well, one more about the war then, a raw start to emphasize that War Is Raw. This song is about the refugee crisis, where we sometimes forget, for our own convenience, that all those people are not fleeing from luxury. Just imagine if you were in such circumstances yourself and had to rely on the charitable help of a fellowman. How nice would it be if ‘a bed, a bath and bread’ were guaranteed as an absolute minimum! Yes, Marisa likes to rub our spoilt noses in the unpleasant facts. What if you yourself...! Beautiful, heavy, sung seriously, as you would expect with a title like that! And again, such a obvious truth! All Born Innocent, we say it about dogs, but what about babies? ‘Love is the only medicine we need!’ Sung emphatically, warning us not to let it get us down! Dubious forces are trying to drive us apart. Don't allow that! We are all human and Born Innocent! And having impressed that upon us all, Marisa Yeaman falls silent. The album is over.
A very ordinary, fantastic album with an indelible contribution from BJ Baartmans. What this fine gentleman has achieved on this album is so incredibly good! A very varied selection of songs, a bit heavy on war? Well, given the world around us, I think it's okay to talk about it, without immediately panicking! Well sung with a pleasant, ‘present’ voice, perfect accompaniment for which I really have no words!!! Phew!!!
My favourite, if I have to choose one: Mansion On The Hill, or Hold On To Me, or The Distance, or Love Is The Gold, or... do I make myself clear
Get this album and enjoy, dream away, sing along. Do it!