Thanks to the runaway success of Laura Marling, a new generation of gifted female singer/songwriters are springing up on the indie/folk scene. Lucy Rose is one of this new breed, a 20-year old with an incredible singing voice, and a songwriting talent to match.
Lucy began writing her music in high school, but kept her passion a secret from friends and family until she left school. Then her career took off, being chosen by Bombay Bicycle Club frontman Jack Steadman to provide backing vocals on critically acclaimed second album, Flaws, thanks to some amazing Myspace demos and a series of well reviewed indie-night performances at pubs and clubs around London.
Lucy’s brilliant, slightly husky singing voice, emphasised by the self produced nature of the tracks she has released so far on Myspace, along with her age, looks and musical style are all likely to draw comparisons to Laura Marling, which is no small compliment for any aspiring folk singer/songwriter. However, the area which really makes her stand out is her lyrics. Rather than opting for the mysterious, metaphorical poetic style of Laura’s work, she speaks from the heart, with an emotional sincerity that is both personal and endearing, and infinitely listenable.
So far, Lucy has released 8 tracks via her Myspace page, all self written and produced. My favourites are the incredibly catchy acoustic number Middle of the Bed, and the emotional and heartfelt Bull to the Red. However, my favourite Lucy Rose appearance so far was on the popular YouTube music channel watchlistentell (if you haven’t heard of it yet, check it out, it’s awesome), performing a version of probably her best song yet, Night Bus. Its combination of excellent songwriting, layered melodic guitars and harmonious vocals make it a standout, and lead to it becoming one of watchlistentell’s most popular videos.
Lucy Rose is definitely one to watch. Her beautiful music, honest lyrics, songwriting talent and her excellent live performances make her one of the artists I’m most excited about in the coming year, and the current folk revival and success of the likes of Laura Marling, Emmy the Great and Alessi’s Ark means she is perfectly poised to break onto the music scene and make 2011 her year.
Nathan Murphy
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