Album review

Amelia Curran

Spectators

added: 24 Feb 2013 // release date: 11 Feb 2013 // label: Blue Rose
reviewer: Andy Snipper

As Amelia Curran’s career has developed her music has grown more sophisticate and less lightweight. This album finds her at the perfect place for music with real depth and soul and she doesn’t disappoint.

She has always had a fine voice but the songs now show off the music more and some of the arrangements here are miles away from the singer-songwriter, ‘girl with a guitar’ that I remember in years past.

‘Years’ opens the album with a keening organ behind her guitar and the words begin to tumble out with an almost Dylan-esque prose style – the build of the music takes you by surprise as you concentrate on her words but build it does and the song has remarkable power. This is followed by ‘What Will You Be Building’ with a big brass section and plodding beat – again, the focus is on the words but there is a strong hand at the tiller and the track carries itself with great dignity.
‘Strangers’ features some excellent harmonies and the strings on ‘Soft Wooden Towers’ give a sonorous and intense tone to the song – the album is full of lovely little touches alongside the dense and complex lyrics. ‘Face On The News’ is the simplest song on the album and possibly the best – just a voice and a brilliantly emotive song – wonderful.

Her earnestness can get a little heavy at times – there is very little here that is lightweight but there is also nothing here you could call ‘filler’ and on balance I definitely feel that she has developed into a serious performer and one who makes music that cries out to be heard.

I a world where the top performers are Adele or Rhiannon and where Lady Gaga is considered deep, Amelia Curran shows that there really is room for music that moves and questions and thank whatever deities you wish for that.

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