Nell Bryden
Album: Shake The Tree
Label: 157
Tracks: 12
Website: http://www.nellbryden.com

"Shake The Tree" is the new album from Nell Bryden. Nell has a interesting background. She was born in New York and her parents are a renowned landscape artist and a soprano opera singer. Nell, who has travelled extensively, has now made London her second home.

Nell witnessed the 9/11 attacks from her New York apartment and this had a profound effect upon her, as can be imagined. She has twice travelled to Iraq to entertain the troops there and on her first visit recorded a live album and her second visit was the subject of a documentary film called " Striking A Chord".

Nell's best known album, to date, was 2009's "What Does It Take ? ". Six of the tracks from this album made the BBC Radio 2 Playlist. Due to Hurricane Katrina, the album had to be re-recorded and this process was funded by the sale, at auction, of a valuable painting that Nell had been given as a christening present and which lay, forgotten, in an attic for many years.

The new album, now under review, was recorded in London [at State of the Ark Studio] with Grammy -award winning producer Mark Taylor, who has worked with Cher, James Morrison and Lady Gaga amongst others. For the first time, Nell has worked with a co-writer, British guitarist Patrick Mascall, with whom she shares an admiration for the work of artists like Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Bruce Springsteen and Willie Nelson.

And so to the album. As you would expect with Mark Taylor at the helm, it is a very well-produced, great sounding album but at the same time, it retains a rootsy feel with touches of gospel, soul and country music. Even though it was recorded in England, it still has a very American feel to it. Nell is in fine voice and the songs are excellent and heartfelt, born out, in no small part, of some of the difficulties that Nell has experienced in her career.

The album gets off to a fine start with "Buildings And Treetops", which is the first single. It is all about getting over a break up [" I'm still trying to work out what it means but you're still with me in my dreams"].

"Sirens" is a haunting ballad which is clearly about coming to terms with the events of 9/11 [" If we leave behind the dust in the sky, from the sound of sirens, the City will rise"]. The song, in common with several others on the album, features some lovely pedal steel guitar. A very moving song.

"Fingerprints" has a lovely gospelly, country- soul feel to it and sounds as though it could have been recorded in Muscle Shoals or Memphis rather than London. This is followed by an atmospheric ballad "Couldn't Love You More" in which Nell asks what she can do to make things right and to redicover what has been left behind. Nell's soulful vocals convey great emotion which is echoed by the pedal steel guitar.

The title track " Shake The Tree" is an excellent soul-pop song with great vocals, which wouldn't sound out place on Adele album, it's that good ! It deserves to be a hit single and if Adele can do it......

The quality of the album does not let up. "Echoes" is another fine track, with a brooding, atmospheric sound which is reminiscent of the production work of Daniel Lanois.

There is a complete change of style for " If I Forget ", which has an evocative, vintage western swing feel to it, combining both jazz and country, with a great guitar /pedal steel sound. Nell sounds equally at home on this track as she does on the more contemporary styles on the album.

"Downtown Lullaby" is a simple piano-based song, beautifully sung, which is full of longing and regret "I wish now I had stayed with you, why did I ever leave ? ". Lovely stuff.The theme of missing someone continues with " Even When A Heart Breaks", which shows the great quality and tone of Nell's voice.

By contrast, "Portrait" is an uptempo, radio-friendly song with a driving beat and catchy refrain but despite this there is still an underlying sense of unease [" I've been my biggest enemy, so critical of what I see "].

The final track, "Someday" is a pretty, acoustic ballad, full of nautical imagery, which ends the album on an optimistic note [" I will come back to you someday "].

This is an excellent album, which gets better and better with every listen. It oozes quality from start to finish and it deserves to be a hit, as Nell is every bit as good as those other female singer -songwriters who are currently enjoying chart success.

Peter Cowley