Little Rach
Album: If You Go
Label: Farm Folk
Tracks: 10
Website: http://www.littlerachmusic.com

Whilst I had heard the name Little Rach, prior to seeing her perform live as part of the Folk 21 event at Wimborne Minster Folk Festival, I hadn't heard anything from her and genuinely had no idea what to expect when she took to the stage on that Saturday afternoon. What I hadn't expected was the poppy, punky folk that poured out of the waif like singer.

Later on I caught her in the green room watching Brooks Williams and PJ Wright rehearsing and warming up for their own set later that day. Rach was sat cross legged on the floor getting the feel of where they were going with their tunes and then with a glance and a nod back, joining in. A real moment of serendipity.

Serendipity has played an important part in her life so far, including a chance meeting with another Fatea favourite, singer, songwriter and troubadour, Andy White, at a Scottish mansion leads to a chat of coffee and biscuits and an offer to mentor the already starting to flourish young singer songwriter. Ultimately that lead to Andy White, producing and performing on Little Rach's debut album, "If You Go", but crucially, with the exception of a couple of co-writes, the words and music are all hers.

Whilst luck can get you a certain distance, it's talent that underpins the whole thing. Whilst luck may have put Andy White in the same room as Little Rach, it was her talent that drew the attention, just as it was her talent that immediately drew me to her performance on that stage in Wimborne, particularly when she played, "Made To Love Music" a track that I can easily see becoming her signature tune.

I'm really delighted to say, that "If You Go" captures all the impact of her live performance, cheeky when it needs to be, a great counterpoint to the more serious nature of some of the songs. There's an attitude here, but it's as much one of the troubadour as it is punky pop folk. Little Rach seems to be a keen observer, she's on a voyage of discovery and I highly recommend that you join her on that journey; she was definitely "Made To Love Music".

Neil King