Reviewed by Tony Cummings

This Devon-based singer/songwriter has on her debut full length album produced one of the most poignant and wistfully beautiful albums this reviewer has heard for years. The stylistic pigeon-holer in me would place it somewhere between Kate Bush and Note For A Child but that does credit neither to the haunting delicacy of Rebecca's voice or the originality of the multi-textured soundscapes that producers Bernard Roberts and Andrew Worthley have woven round this most effecting of singers. Acoustic guitars, cellos, undulating drum loops and, on "Consumed" - a telling exploration of exploited clothing factory workers - full tilt rock guitar all act as counterbalances to that clear, pristine, other-worldly voice. The centrepoint of this set are Rebecca's lyrics. These aren't merely poetic, they ARE poetry with every phrase and image conjuring memories and moods in the listener. Often these are of brokenness and loneliness suffused with glimpses of hope and redemption. Things aren't spelt out. I THINK the haunting "Candlelight (An Elegy)" is about a young lady trapped in the errors of false philosophies/religions. But I could be wrong. "The High Street" captures the claustrophobic rush of urban life perfectly: "Ground underfoot as hard as stone within you/Cold as your unswept tears/Bodies push against you all working to slow you down/Down in apathetic rejection/Oh your eyes glaze over/The distance you must go." So begins Rebecca's sad description of the addiction of consumerism. An album of rich intelligence and luminous integrity.

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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