Lucy Anne Sale
Album: Sonomama
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 11
Website: http://www.lucyannesale.com/

A folk-tinged blues-jazz treat that appears to owe as much to Paul McCartney and Dean Friedman as it does to more expected comparisons such as Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush or Janis Ian. It's hard to tie the record down and by track three, Luckier Than Some, it starts to get really unpredictable as the spirit of Mika slugs it out with the ghost of Supertramp … but in a good way.

Not that genre hopping is to be discouraged, far from it, but a lesser talent would struggle to generate any coherence from such a mixed bag of reference points. However, Lucy Anne Sale is blessed with a persuasive voice that has bags of personality, the kind of characteristics that can win over the staunchest of doubters. Pot of Gold returns to 1970s AoR for a memorable middle eight that bridges a story of self searching and optimistic musing. Ms Sale also has a nice line in jazzy blues guitar playing to peddle, along with some tidy keyboard parts and a well-rounded confection of electronic inputs to inform the lean pop of Live Or Die Trying and the melodic intricacies of Where the Bluebells Grow. There's even a snappy R&B twist to the vocal delivery in parts of Fooled by the Minor Key.

Don't come here looking for a quick fix of fem-folk-blues, do come here if you want to linger a while and let Sonorama sink in. You'll be glad you did.

Nick Churchill
www.thegranvillechambers.co.uk