Polydor (label)
28 February 2011 (released)
25 February 2011
Number 5 in the BBC Sound of 2011 earlier this year, great things are expected of Clare Maguire, and her debut album seems to confirm her Sound of 2011 status. With her huge voice that is deep and powerful Clare Maguire delivers a series of pop tunes that cover a range from ballad to up-tempo pop. Throughout the album various female artists come into mind from current songstresses like Adelle and Florence thorough to more retro references such as Annie Lennox, Kate Bush and Lisa Stansfield.
The Shield and the Sword is the first real chance for Clare to deliver and she doesn’t fail. This huge string laden track is one of her strongest moments and is surely a future single. Talking of singles, current single ‘The Last Dance’ is another strong number and again shows her strong vocal talents – this should surely propel her into the limelight.
Elsewhere tracks like ‘Bullet’ and previous single ‘Ain’t Nobody’ (not a Chaka Khan cover) are slower, moodier tracks that show a darker side to her vocals. Generally, the album does have a slightly too polished feel, and it does run the risk of being this years Dido; great after dinner album, but I feel there is more to Clare Maguire and the tracks do sometimes have more to offer – ‘Happiest Pretender’ is a crescendo of emotions and vocals, ‘Light After Dark’ heads in an M People direct with a hint of dancefloor diva in there somewhere and ‘Break These Chains’ has a gospel tinge to it.
There does seem to be a lot of critical backlash reading other reviews of the album; perhaps this is as a direct result of the Sound of 2011 accolade where artists here are expected to be new and diverse – Jamie Woon, Vaccines etc. perhaps tick this box more than Clare does, however it is still great listen if perhaps more commercial than Jessie J.
Good debut album; expect to hear plenty more of Clare Maguire this year.
1. Are You Ready?
2. The Shield and The Sword
3. The Last Dance
4. Break These Chains
5. The Happiest Pretenders
6. Sweet Lie
7. I Surrender
8. Bullet
9. You're Electric
10. Ain't Nobody
11. Light After Dark
12. This Is Not The End
