Music Review

09 January 2009 23:37 BST

Beth Rowley: Little Dreamer

Blue Thumb Records, out May 19th.

In a nutshell...

Bluesy, melodic, warm, traditional, folksy.

What's it all about?

Of the 11 tracks, six are rearrangements (by Rowley herself) of traditional melodies, and/or cover versions. The remaining five tracks showcase Rowley's own promising songwriting talents, which she does justice to with her easy, silky voice.

Who's it by?

Beth Rowley was born to British parents in Peru but raised in Bristol, although her musical style seems strongly rooted in American gospel and folk; on Little Dreamer, she pays homage to the likes of Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan by covering Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground and I Shall Be Released respectively, the latter arranged with a compelling reggae lilt. She was discovered at London's Ginglik, at the age of 17, and trained at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music. She has already worked with artists such as Carleen Anderson and Duke Special.

As an example...

"Is there something I can give you, anything at all/Have you ever loved the way I love you, have you ever loved at all?"

"I can't stop chasing the tiger’s tail/Tempted to taste some forbidden delight... "

It seems churlish to mention that the best lyrics on the album are easily those of Bob Dylan, as writing worse lyrics than Bob Dylan is hardly a serious condemnation of someone's artistic talent.

Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys?

It's certainly possible – and it would be very well-deserved. This album should and will be critically well-received. And even though perhaps there is better to come from Beth Rowley in future, and Little Dreamer is an introduction to a new rising star rather than a spectacular work in itself, there have certainly been worse and more unlikely winners of Grammy awards.

What the others say:

"The next big thing." - Independent

"Destined for number one." – Sunday Times

So is it any good?

Impressively, Rowley’s own songs hold their own quite effortlessly against the classics she teams them with. In fact, the two clear highlights on the album ( apart from Dylan's I Shall Be Released), are So Sublime, and Oh My Life, both penned by Rowley herself. Punctuated with confident brass, the latter song boasts both a killer vocal performance and a memorable tune.

Furthermore, her reworked versions of traditional folk songs actually bring something fresh and original to the tracks. Beautiful Tomorrow closes the album on a such a powerful rush of gospel-like harmonising that it's hard not to leap from your seat clapping and bellowing.
The piano-led soul ballad Sweet Hours demonstrates a knack for writing simple love-song lyrics, which Rowley croons and bellows out in the flavour of Bonnie Rait, while So Sublime begins as though it's going to break into Hi-Ho Silver Lining’ waives for an Elton John-like bridge, then bursts into a gloriously catchy chorus.

To watch the So Sublime video here on inthenews.co.uk, click here

It's hard to find a serious low point to Little Dreamer, but if one was searching for a completely balanced view, it might be fair to say that a few of the songs are a little too similar for comfort to the classic old tunes they are influenced by, and that Rowley's own songwriting could be a little braver; it's clear from her arranging credits on the album that here is an artist with a good deal of original creativity, so it is perhaps mildly surprising that the bulk of the album is, for lack of a kinder word, ever so slightly predictable.

That said, playing it safe for her debut album is not necessarily a stupid move, and once Rowley has established herself as a true musical talent, she will be well placed to explore exactly what kind of musical fingerprint she wants to leave on the world. I am confident we have not yet seen the best of Beth Rowley, but what she’s given us so far is very, very encouraging.

8.5/10

Louise McCudden

"I think this is a fair review. There will always be disagreements as to what is the best or worse track (in my humble opinion, these are Sweet ours and Angel Flying Too Close respectively) but this is a minor point. An artist is only as good as their unique selling point and in the case of Beth Rowley, her USP is her absolutely astonishing voice. This is possibly the greatest voice of her generation and will put her right up there with the greats. Her live performance is breathtaking and in fact the recording barely does her justice. Beth is such an unassuming person and she seems so vulnerable on stage, possibly due to a lack of confidence but goodness only knows why because she is superb. This is a singer who can really communicate the emotion in a song, she has amazing power and grace and is a really soulful singer unlike other so called soul/R 'n' B singers who warble a million notes when only one is needed.

Please buy the album, the songs are pretty good good and withstand repeated listening but this is only the start of what should be an illustrious career. There will be even better CDs to come.

Whatever you do, see her live now while she is playing small venues because this time next year, I'm sure her marketing people will want her to play in stadiums." - Kevin Priest