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38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb debut, 21 May 2008
There is a danger that Beth Rowley could be lost among the plethora of female vocalists who have surfaced recently - that would be a pity. Throughout this varied set, Rowley's vocal ability is clear. She effortlessly handles blues, country and gospel and turns Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" into a reggae inspired shuffle. Not only that, she has written 5 of the tracks, each of which bears testament to the varied influences she must have had.
My favourites are the aforementioned Dylan track, "Almost Persuaded.." and "When the Rains Came", each of which build to a superb gospel climax, (but then I am a sucker for Soul) and "Only one Cloud", which sounds like an ancient Blues, but is actually part written by Rowley.
If you like Duffy, Adele, Winehouse, Norah Jones or Alice Russell, I would recommend this album - soulful vocals, restrained arrangements, you'll find it ends too soon and you'll play it again.
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22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good debut with room for improvement, 1 Jun 2008
Beth Rowley's voice isn't as distinctive as the voices of her nearest `rivals', Amy Winehouse and Duffy, that's not necessarily a bad thing but it does mean that some of her songs, such as "So sublime" and "You never called me tonight", can seem a bit bland.
What singles her out from her contemporaries is that as well as singing pop and 'reconstituted 60s soul' she also sings `da blues'. However, she's no Susan Tedeschi and I find that her take on Blind Willie Johnson's "Nobody's fault but mine" is a bit dull. Similarly, her producer has taken Jim Crawford's "When the rains came" - which Jim recorded with just his guitar and voice - added a full band with Hammond organ, slide guitar and gospel backing singers and turned a masterpiece of understatement into overblown mediocrity. She's not exactly ruined a great song (that would be perfect for a cover by Joe Cocker) but she's missed all the subtleties of the song and its original performance. I also find the modern blues "One cloud" to be pretty average.
I think that when she leaves the blues behind she's a lot better - "Sweet hours" and "Oh my life" both work perfectly as modern pop/soul, as do the gospel-influenced "Almost persuaded" and the reggae version of Dylan's "I shall be released". The real revelation for me was her duet with Duke Special on Willie Nelson's "Angel flying too close to the ground" where her voice is thoughtful and vulnerable, and which for me was one of her best vocal performances.
It's commendable that Beth and her producers have tried to include different types of music into the mix of her debut CD but I feel that for much of the blues-based material her voice can't really carry the songs and their arrangements.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Little Dreamer, 5 Feb 2010
Revisiting this album after a few months of not hearing it, I am reminded of quite how good it is. Beth Rowley is heavily influenced by blues, gospel and soul, and these influences all come out in the album, yet it is given a pop sheen to appeal to a broader audience. This is achieved through a mix of covers - the best-known being Dylan's 'I Shall Be Released' which is given a reggae treatment - and originals, many of which are co-written by Ben Castle. It is the original tracks that have the slight pop edge to them, particularly 'Sweet Hours' or the excellent 'Oh My Life' with its saxophone solo recalling Stax or Motown records.
The choice of covers is well considered and gives a balance to the album, comfortably drawing the different genres together. They are not all well-known, which lets Beth put her own stamp on them, and overall they highlight her ability to slip easily through blues, gospel or soul. 'When the Rains Came' is a fantastic gospel track which builds and builds as a choir start echoing her lead. The more bluesy 'Almost Persuaded' has a fantastic performance too, with the bared down instrumentation showing how strong her voice is. The only track on the album that I am somewhat disappointed by is 'Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground', which has guest vocals from Duke Special. The pairing sounded excellent in my head, but the execution is nothing special with the final result being a little dull.
Overall it is a strong debut. I think that 'When the Rains Came' is perhaps the best cover, and 'So Sublime' and 'Oh My Life' are the standout original tracks. It is an uplifting, feel good album, yet I do feel that the need to appeal to a pop audience means that the vocal performances are slightly restrained. Nothing quite draws out Beth's voice in the same way as her singing live, and this is a shame because on record she has a great voice, but live it is simply amazing. Hopefully the second album will be more focused on drawing out and showcasing her interest in blues and gospel without so much pop because I think that it is in this area that Beth shines.
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