Reviews
Artist:Lauren South Album: Tiny Boat
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 14
Website: https://www.laurensouthmusic.com/
I first came across Lauren a few years ago when she sent me music for my radio show in the guise of a trio called Greengrass. Since then, Lauren has been working as a solo artist, and also in a collaboration with Keith Donnelly. So, I was delighted to find that she has, at last, released her debut solo album, ‘Tiny Boats’. It consists of 14 original songs, all written by Lauren and featuring guest musicians Ellie Gowers, John Parker, Keith Donnelly and Ben Haines.
The thing is, Lauren has a stunning voice, so you can’t help but stand back and admire its beautiful tone as she weaves through the songs on the record that are clearly personal, thoughtful, and imaginative. Opening with a song inspired by a W.B. Yates poem, ‘The Mermaid and the Swimming Lad’, it’s the delivery that immediately hooks you and I found myself hanging on for the conclusion which speaks an interesting twist.
The second track is the title track ‘Tiny Boat’ and it conjures up an image of a tiny boat riding the waves of life. The song itself is very simply expressed but again it’s the lyrics that give it meaning, even though there is a gentle and melodic instrumental section in the middle.
In the next three offerings, the album has a really personal feel and clearly in the songs ‘Jessica’, ‘Here for You’ and ‘Heavens’ Lauren is obviously writing from the heart. They are songs of hope, a little ambiguous but full of positivity. In ‘Bring Us Home’, the theme turns towards nature and it’s a song that conjures up visions of walking in the outdoors and embracing the feeling that Mother Nature will ground us, before we move on to some excellent fiddle tunes that demonstrate that Lauren is not just a fine singer but a fine multi-instrumentalist too. ‘Hope / Boo to a Goose’ weave through a slow and gentle start into a bouncy foot tapper of a track.
Track nine is called ‘Wayfinder’ and again its one to pay close attention to. The words that Lauren has written to a really lovely melody, talk of trusting our own judgement, before we come to ‘Love is the Answer’, another really personal song written about her children. As the album builds to a climax, we hear the metaphorical ‘Weather the Storm’, followed by a song inspired by a lyric from the traditional ‘She Moved Through the Fair’, called ‘One Star Awake’ which continues to demonstrate what a clever writer Lauren is.
As we draw to a close, two more songs ‘Judith’s Song’ written in memory of a close friend and ‘Shine Away’ which is a further expression of unconditional love for her children, again demonstrate that when there is a personal connection to her writing, Lauren thrives.
‘Tiny Boat’ is a fine debut album which illustrates Lauren’s eloquence as a writer. Its easy to overlook the excellent musicianship on this album, from Lauren and her guest contributors, as it’s mostly the lyrics and the narratives that draw you in, but it’s certainly there, driving it forward and making it a collection of ‘folk’ songs and tunes that sit comfortably in the genre. It’s been a while coming, but Lauren South has certainly delivered.
Stuart Green
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Tiny Boat
Fatea Showcase Sessions
The Fatea Showcase Sessions are a series of downloads featuring acts that we've really enjoyed and think that more people should get the chance to hear.
Pirate is the current session and features 16 fantastic artists check out the website to find out more about them and download your copy
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