Unlike her first two albums, “Byd Bach” (Small World) is a concept album that takes the listener on a whistle-stop tour of the artist’s favourite haunts in Wales, driving you through them at top speed, before you can even begin to strap on your seat belts. During the trip, you get to see a little bit of everywhere, namely Aberaeron, Porthgain, Penrhiwllan and Cardiff, before she charges back up the A470, paying visits to Anglesey and Llandygai Mountain.

“I’ve lived in so many different places in Wales,” Fflur comments. “I know that as Welsh people we sometimes find living in a “Small World” a frustrating thing, but the advantage is that you actually get to know your own country, something a person in a bigger country would never be able to do. I think that living in all four corners of Wales has certainly shaped me as a person, and the album is a means of reliving that emotional journey, through the means of song.”

There has certainly never been a Welsh album like it. As soon as we hear “Pobol Bach,” Fflur’s playful response to the Randy Newman song, “Short People,” in which she introduces us to the “short” cast of her “Small World,” or Abercuawg, an imaginary place referenced by the poet R.S. Thomas, we realise that we are in the hands of an unusual and gifted songwriter.

Certainly there is something on this album for everyone, and it once again showcases the unique partnership between Fflur and her excellent band, “Y Barf.” Although no one musical style drives the album, with each location claiming its own particular musical style and flavour, we can certainly recognise the musical energy and strong, catchy melodies that have come to characterise “Fflur Dafydd a’r Barf” over the past three years, and have certainly been responsible for their broad appeal in Wales and beyond.

Tracks -

01. Pobol Bach

02. A47dim

03. Caerdydd

04. Penrhiwllan

05. Aberaeron

06. Byd Bach

07. Porthgain

08. Y Llwybrau

09. Abercuawg

10. Yr Ymylon

Yn wahanol i’r ddwy albym gyntaf, mae “Byd Bach” yn albym cysyniadol sydd yn ymwneud â lleoliadau gwahanol yng Nghymru, ac sy’n cludo’r gwrandäwr ar daith o gwmpas y lleoliadau hynny sydd wedi dylanwadu ar fywyd a cherddoriaeth Fflur. Mae’r amrywiaeth o leoliadau yn eang dros ben, yn amrywio o lefydd arfordirol braf fel Aberaeron a Phorthgain, i dywyllwch dinesig Caerdydd, ac yna ar hyd lwybr cerddorol yr A470 at Ynys Môn a Mynydd Llandygai.

“Dwi wedi byw mewn nifer o lefydd gwahanol yng Nghymru,” meddai Fflur. “Ac er ein bod weithiau’n gweld y ffaith ein bod yn byw mewn “Byd Bach” yn rhywbeth negyddol, ry’n ni’n lwcus, mewn ffordd, fod ganddon ni’r cyfle i ddod i nabod ein gwlad mor dda, ac i weld pob cornel ohoni, yn wahanol i bobl sy’n byw mewn gwledydd mawr. Dwi wastad yn teimlo ‘mod i’n berson fwy crwn o fod wedi byw mewn gymaint o lefydd, ac mae’r albym yn rhyw fath o daith emosiynol i mi trwy’r ardaloedd gwahanol sydd wedi fy ffurfio i fel person.”

Wrth deithio o fan i fan trwy gyfrwng y caneuon, mae pob un lleoliad yn hawlio ei steil gerddorol unigryw ei hun, ac yn brawf o’r cydweithio egniol, creadigol sydd rhwng Fflur a’i band gwych, “Y Barf.” Mae’r geiriau hefyd yn llawn hiwmor tywyll, swreal, ac yn llawn cymeriadau a chyfeiriadau difyr, gyda’r gân “Pobol Bach” er engraifft, yn ymateb chwareus i gân Randy Newman, “Short People.” Mae’r caneuon yn sicr yn dangos crefft a gweledigaeth hynod Fflur fel artist, ac yn brawf o’i chyfraniad unigryw at gerddoriaeth gyfoes Gymraeg.

Traciau -

01. Pobol Bach

02. A47dim

03. Caerdydd

04. Penrhiwllan

05. Aberaeron

06. Byd Bach

07. Porthgain

08. Y Llwybrau

09. Abercuawg

10. Yr Ymylon