Behla Hutchinson
Album: To The Sea
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 9
Website: http://www.behlahutchinson.com

Born in Scarborough, now based in Leeds, Behla's an unassumingly charming singer-songwriter whose delicate guitar playing and fragile yet unexpectedly powerful singing make an intimately memorable first-impression. She says she draws her inspiration from "a childhood spent living in the middle of nowhere, climbing to the tops of tall trees and swimming in cold water". Quite a change from "land-locked Leeds", then! … Whatever, her songs have a spacious, airy filigree quality that gently captivates without being precious.

If I'm honest, I don't feel Behla does herself best justice by leading this CD off with the slightly repetitive Eyes That Want, and the disc's title song perhaps isn't altogether the most interesting of her compositions, at least musically, but the remainder of the songs on her debut offering contain some finely graded imagery and thoughts, and can't be seriously faulted. Cat And Mouse steals in on the heels of the sea breeze, which brings with it a cello part (Emma Coleman) that stays along for the ride on the evocative Blossom. This song shares with Flowers Not Nets a distinctly folky demeanour in its sing-song refrain, although the song's structure is adventurous than this comparison might suggest and Behla's use of different rhythms within the same song is an intriguing feature of her writing style.

The Tree is another example of Behla's carefree, freewheeling inventiveness, exhibiting an almost childlike delight and playfulness. I really like the fresh, unadulterated, unaffected feel of Behla's music; I much enjoyed this little mini-album, and eagerly await Behla's next trip to the recording studio.

David Kidman