A 19 year old singer songwriter from Cornwall. A bit of art on the front cover and a moody picture on the back cover. Five songs and presumably a point to make? So far so normal.
What isn’t normal is Mr Powell’s voice. He shows commendable control in “My Old School”, for example but he also has this affected but nonetheless emotive other voice that works really well on the title track of the EP and also on “Toes”. He treads lightly but surefootedly throughout and, though sometimes prone to maxing out the metaphors in his lyrics, he displays an elegance and intelligence that marks him out as a serious player. Admittedly, “An Old Friend’s Powder” and “Don’t” are distinctly awkward and – probably not that surprising given his age – immature but, as the man says, three out of five ain’t bad.
“Marble Pillars” is a very respectable debut EP and it was also good to hear a guitar used for something else other than strumming along.