Song reviews

Ruth Campbell has a voice that would make you believe and her song “Life Is Short”, being a Christian song, is about belief. I am sure that I should be worried that her words have relevance to the world of today but, nonetheless, the song works well.

You don’t get many ballads these days yet Abbie Thomas gives us one with “If I Die” maxing out on the melancholy while mixing in enough spirituality to make the end result actually uplifting. A proper song that is properly sung.

“Breckenridge Lane” is a story song of sorts and one that has a pleasing complexity in its musical arrangements yet it is the angst ridden lyrics that are Timmy Skelly’s unique selling point. This one verges on the poetic.

Brooding to the point of being theatrical, Cristina Cherry uses her distinctive voice to lift the otherwise ordinary “Can You Be Mine?” to a higher level. You can tell that she wears sunglasses even at midnight. This is the deluxe meal deal.

Endearingly confident in execution, “Kolme Kesää” by Ocelot exudes the kind of smoke powered intensity that made songs stick in your head back in the days when songs were supposed to stick in your head. The piano makes it all work.

If you happen to be looking for some stylish synth pop then look no further than Sohodolls and their retro post-midnight credentials are further solidified by “Territory of Your Heart”. Once again, red lipstick and a sequencer make my day.

I don’t know if it is an insult to describe a band as sounding quite American when they’re not but Hamartia’s line in downbeat rock music indeed sounds like it has traversed the Atlantic. Lots of manly riffs and strong female vocals complete the illusion.

“Ghost” is a song of the heart and from the heart and, with a suitably dramatic sweep, Chloey Rose duly emotes the words as if haunted by the ghost of some long forgotten romantic poet beset by a broken relationship. Theatrically intense.

Misa Hourani does a nice line in earnest lyrics with “On My Own” resonating in all the best socially conscious places and even though the low key loops are powerful in this one they do not distract from her words.

On the pulse for highly polished yet socially aware mainstream music is Amy Papiransky and her song “Isabella” delivers her message with a veneer of the kind that the best session musicians possess. This one is destined for airplay everywhere.

If you are looking for a song that washes over you and leaves you clean once more then look no further than “I Keep Reaching For The Sun” by Gates Of Light. Brooding synths support the song while Louise Quinn’s voice casts the spell.

I hazard a guess that you won’t get the folk out of Lynda Moylan any time soon and “Irish Love song” is duly a story song that is both of the heart and with a heart. This song deserves to be taken with a drink and, of course, there’s a fiddle in it.