Chloe Charles: Break The Balance

Rating: ★★★

Record and Artist Details

Musicians:

Sam McLellan (b)
Chloe Charles (v)
Justin Craig (d)
Matt Duncan (p)

Label:

www.chloecharles.com

May/2014

RecordDate:

date not stated

With its multiplicity of influences, this offbeat 12-track collection of originals from Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist, Chloe Charles, channels everything from Adele-like slow-burners to the impeccably crafted guitar-led creations of Joni Mitchell. The Toronto-based singer's debut album – which follows her 2010 EP release Little Green Bud – kicks off with ‘Business’, which serves to illustrate that Charles already possesses a finely tuned songwriter's ear for lyrical and melodic detail. Driven along by a simple, rippling acoustic guitar riff, the title track's disarmingly simple chorus hook immediately lodges itself in your brain, made all the more memorable by its layered backing harmonies (a particular forte of the singer) and the subtle melancholic twist supplied by the string accompaniment. ‘Nottingham Premonitions’ showcases the singer's singular storytelling gift, while the serpentine, multipartite structure and quirky arrangement of ‘Captive’ suggests an artistic affinity with Gwyneth Herbert.

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