Fragile beauty in development.
Seven tracks in an EP? One more and this collection could get away with being called a debut album, and what a cracking debut, full of fragile beauty and delicate heartbreak. Lizzie Reid sings of coming out of early relationships with a sense of reflection, and in ‘Tribute’ of affection for what was learnt. “I don’t regret a word that I said when I was in your bed”. All seven tracks seem to commence delicately, but whilst ‘Prelude’ contains a lot of space, the opening lilt of ‘Seamless’ really builds, and ‘Been Thinking About You’ might start slow and jazzy, but ends with great guitar crashes. Vocal stylings tend to be the type of voice that is initially failing and faulting, but actual a strong instrument. A touch of Margaret Glaspy when jazzy, Daughter before the bombast kicks in (check the first minute of ‘Youth’). The clear and obvious comparator – and last years AMA-UK Best Selling Americana Album artist so it’s very much a compliment – the early work of Laura Marling comes straight to mind, with the vocal rises/drops having a familiar fragility, ‘Tribute’ in particular. Lizzie Reid has a very arresting style, beautiful, probing, delicate, thoughtful. Very interested to hear what comes next.
