Reviews

Lucy Kitt
Album: Telling Me
Label: Wineberry
Tracks: 11
Website: https://lucykitt.bandcamp.com/

Now well into her second decade as a singer-songwriter, as Essex born Lucy Kitt releases only her second full-length album, Telling Me, the aphorism 'quality rather than quantity' could never have been more appropriately applied.

It was on a musical journey that started in earnest at just 16 years old when she formed a riot girl grunge band Ostara with her cousin and two friends that Lucy discovered a love for performing live, playing in various venues around East London. Subsequently, whilst at University in Canterbury, she began to develop her song writing skills and gaining a healthy reputation within the local music scene.

Taking inspiration from, and influenced by, the 70s music collection of her parents, the acoustic and folk-rock of the likes of Joan Baez, Sandy Denny, Nick Drake, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, her writing, honest appraisals of personal experiences, garnered many plaudits, including success as a semi-finalist in the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards in 2006 and winner of the 2014 Gibson/Sundance song writing competition. Supporting acts such as Cara Dillon, Turin Brakes and The Unthanks, festival appearances which have included the likes of Cambridge Folk Festival, The Isle of Wight Festival, Secret Garden Party and Red Rooster Festival, together with gigs around the world, are testament to her exceptional talent, sentiments which I can personally confirm when I last saw Lucy play live, in April 2019, at the Network Theatre supporting Pete Gow.

With her 2019 debut album Stand By receiving top reviews and the highest acclaim, it is no surprise that her long-awaited sophomore album has been eagerly anticipated. To cut immediately to the chase, the wait has been more than worthwhile, Telling Me exceeds all expectations and is a magnificent album resplendent with mature song-writing and first-class musicianship.

Whereas Stand By featured songs written at a moment in time, her University years, and tended to speak to introspective, personal experiences, Telling Me, whilst also a deeply personal collection, sees a fundamental shift in focus from digging deep into her inner-self to songs which have a more narrative, storytelling approach, songs which capture the lives and struggles of those closest to her. As Lucy explains, "The songs on this record are like a collection of stories. Stories that I have experienced and also from the perspective of other people in my life. Many of these songs were written about friends and family that have been through hard times."

Written during her early 30s and completed between 2021 and 2023, this prolonged recording process was brought about both by the restrictions imposed by the COVID pandemic and also Lucy having a baby, thus permitting a more measured and collaborative approach than her previous work, whilst again presenting an album as a storybook of songs which reflect a particular moment in time.

Very much predicated upon a "three chords and the truth" philosophy and approach, there are also continuity threads running across both albums. Again, in essence the songs are self-penned acoustic compositions, the Los Angeles Laurel Canyon vibe which permeates the release is again tempered by Lucy's continuing deliberate choice to stick with her innate accent in her vocal delivery, "I have always retained my authentic self in my songs," she explains, "always singing with my own accent, despite the influences of all the bands and artists over the years."

Recorded at the Lightship 95 Studio in London's Trinity Buoy Wharf, Telling Me was co-produced, (as was her debut), and engineered by David Holmes, and features contributions from Jay Starkey on drums, with pedal-steel provided remotely from Nashville by Spencer Cullum. Once again, Lucy is also joined by Treetop Flyer's Sam Beer and long-time collaborator Pat Kenneally on drums and piano.

With its strummed acoustic chords, mellifluous, warm vocals and laid back vibe, 'Blink' opens the release in style, and it's immediately apparent that the listener is going to be in for an aural treat. As Lucy reminisces fondly "I had a dream last night, took me back alright, made me feel again like I did back when we were younger", there may possibly be a twist, with the realisation that "How could I be mistaken?"

The recently released single, 'Waiting Game', which Lucy wrote at the height of the lockdown in 2021, was written for close friends who were struggling with mental health issues. A compassionate, thoughtful piece, the lyrics offer optimism for a restorative outcome. Musically, we get a perfect earworm of a melody, in the most glorious slab of country-tinged Americana that you are likely to hear on either side of the Atlantic. This one track is worth the entry fee alone.

The album's title track, 'Telling Me', also reflects the above-mentioned move to more narrative-based lyrics. Here the subject matter relates to someone close to Lucy attempting to helm their way through a difficult relationship break-up, and "the battle between your head and your heart, as well as navigating all the opinions of other people in between." It is difficult not to be moved and empathises, as Lucy intones, "Scared of always letting go, I'm running back to what I know… Cast aside my hopes and dreams… It's harder than it seems to make these choices with all these voices telling me what I should do."

Musical variety, in terms of dynamics, tempo, timbre and tone gives this release a freshness and interest. Two of the more up-tempo offerings being 'Lonely Rose', initially more stripped back, but developing with a percussive beat and soaring backing vocals, a track which compares with anything from the Fleetwood Mac canon, and 'What Would I Do', a jaunty piece espousing a universal theme which will resonate with many, 'What would I do if I didn't have you, oh where would I be without you now?' In contrast, 'Sweet Time', with its much more relaxed, slower tempo, offers the softer side of Lucy's writing.

The sheer musicality of the release is undeniable, with the performances of the guest musicians outstanding throughout. Check out 'Tides', with its superb guitar work and spot-on production, redolent of the very best of US West Coast psychedelic offerings, 'Like This', with its sublime, understated pedal steel and another slower track, 'Without Her', featuring keyboards to the fore with Lucy offering up a powerful vocal performance.

Penultimate track, 'Missing Out', initially has a dusky, smoky feel, with chunky, clipped guitar chords, which develops into something more complex, in a song which breaks the folk-acoustic mould and points to Lucy's song writing versatility.

The album closes with the poignant 'Resting Blues', a sparse, gentle and heartfelt tribute to a beloved friend who passed away, in which the tone is perfectly in keeping with the subject matter.

Telling Me is an imposing collection of carefully crafted and highly engaging songs, reflecting Lucy's growing musical maturity. Her perspicacious observations of the world around her, captured with honesty and deep empathy, reflect and represent another key time in her life, that of a musician and working mum, a life not without humour, as evidenced by the nappies on the chair on the album's cover. Highly recommended.

David Pratt

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