Sometimes strange thoughts go through my head. Is today the new yesterday, for example or why do Mars Bars no longer rock like they used to? Sometimes it is the Spanish goat’s cheese that kicks off these philosophical musings and sometimes it is a song.
So there I was dutifully listening to an EP called “Remember Me” by Plymouth based songstress Joanna Cooke when the power of the past just hit me. It’s not as if her music was deliberately retro in style but more that her voice sounded natural for, even in the glory days of British manufactured pop music, they kept the voice real and they don’t seem to want to do that anymore. Anyway, Joanna Cooke sounds natural. Indeed, she sounds like a natural singer with that casual sense of style that makes the most of the words that she sings.
True, her voice outshines the material by a country mile and she clearly isn’t pushing her boundaries yet that doesn’t really matter. With seemingly little effort, she drags the vaguely funky “All For You” off the dancefloor to give it a good talking too and the song is all the better for it. “Bright Lights & Glitter” is, likewise, an easy song for her to sell and it is the one that comes closest to capturing your heart.
If you appreciate a good singer then your ears will be proper pleased with Joanna Cooke.