Lucy Ward
Album: Single Flame
Label: Navigator
Tracks: 12
Website: http://www.lucywardsings.com

When you're a young artist whose debut album, "Adephi Has To Fly", was not only universally well received by media and folk fans alike, but also brought her to the attention of festival organisers up and down the country, the temptation to follow that up with something similar, must be almost overwhelming. "Single Flame" not only shows that Lucy Ward is made of sterner stuff, but also that she's been learning from experienced performers that she's been sharing stages with.

Lucy's at times self-effacing personality is still the dominating influence on the album. Even when she's taking "Single Flame" into some really dark areas there is still something in the presentation of the songs that tells you that there is a strength there that will get you through it.

That songwriting has taken on a maturity that gives lie to the relatively short space of time since her aforementioned debut. If the former was an album of youthful rebellion, an exploration that all was not right with the world, drawing on the past as a metaphor for the present and looked at the world in black and white terms, "Single Flame" looks to dive right in and shine a light into the murky greys.

Where "Adelphi Has To Fly" took a look at the unfairness of life and looked at getting it fixed, "Single Flame" deals more with the circumstances as to why that unfairness occurs and why some people have a vested interest in not resolving the issues, because quite frankly their greed is fed by the misery of others.

In many ways, that leads to this album being a more subversive than its predecessor and arguably a more folk album in its content, though more contemporary in presentation, moving away from simple songs to those that have more of a soundscaped cinematic feel.

This is a big album, both in sound and subject. It sees Lucy Ward taking a big step and showing herself to be able express herself through music in different ways and become an artist for all seasons, fully able to give expression to her ideas, without being trapped by past glories, something quite a lot of artists never fully achieve.

"Single Flame" is the sort of album that's easy to recommend. Strong songs, distinctively performed, what's not to like? Definitely an album, brimming over with positives, from the strength of voice, right through to the arrangement and production, this is an album with the word quality, running all the way through it.

Neil King