Reviewed by Tony Cummings

If you didn't know, Brooke is a Nashville-based singer, pianist and purveyor of haunting baroque pop whose light-as-thistledown musings have found her a cult following and landed her a spot touring with Owl City. Trained as a classical pianist, her technique is exemplary though it's seldom applied to pop hook immediacy, Brooke preferring unexpected chord progressions and melodies which rely on delicate interplay with violins, violas and cellos to make their point. With hardly a percussionist in earshot 'Go Easy Little Doves' isn't likely to get much Top 40 radio play. Brooke's vocal technique can best be described as "quirky", a brittle, sweet toned yet small voice fond of flurries of staccato phrasing which works well against the more grandiose orchestrations. After a rather dull, minute long instrumental the album really gets going with "Ruminate" which artfully conveys a mood of tremendous expectancy. Probably the most memorable song on 'Go Easy Little Doves' is the title track where Brooke's brittle voice is offset by her piano's bass note figure while the string arrangement gives the track a dreamy atmosphere though one with a darker undertone. Other tracks which stand out are "Chromates Soft Love" and "Godwin". Some will be put off by the obscurity of some of Brooke's lyrics, while this set is even less "commercial" than last year's 'Heal For The Honey" which at least spawned the Cross Rhythms turntable hit "Lungs Speed, Lungs Sped". But that shouldn't put devotees off. One reviewer compared Brooke's work to that of Kate Bush and Martha Wainwright but in truth Brooke is a unique talent.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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