Tracey Curtis
Album: Thoughts In The Dark
Label: Irregular
Tracks: 12
Website: http://www.traceycurtis.com

The last time I saw Tracey Curtis was when she was collapsing gratefully into a chair in the artists reception area at the Raise Your Banners Festival after a nightmare journey from South Wales to Bradford on a Friday evening. Despite the obvious exhaustion she went on to give a great performance of her thoughtful and direct songs to the delight of the capacity audience.

This CD is a similarly disarming experience - for the most part just Tracey's voice and her choppy guitar riffs. The sole exception is a moving duet with Boff Whalley, 'The Cancer Song', where they share their experiences of their parents' illness.

Although Tracey's political and social commitment is evident in songs such as 'Sasha's Song' (about the human trafficking of sex slaves) and 'Another Tescotown' (self explanatory!) there is little proselytising here - the songs are often about life as it is lived - raising children, falling in love, parental loss, going to the match.

I did feel that the some of the songs could have been enhanced by a fuller arrangement as there is a starkness about the sound that suggests that more variation in timbre and dynamics would only enhance the overall experience.

Worth exploring.

Joe Grint