Lucy Rose

As Lucy Rose approaches her fourth decade she is releasing her fourth, and arguably best, full-length album: 'No Words Left'. Following up 2017's 'Something's Changing', Lucy Rose Parton has indeed altered tack with her latest release. Her trademark characteristics are still littered throughout the album, and her vocal is as good as ever, but with 'No Words Left' she's mined a darker seam of thought to help shape her songs. 

It's something of a rock 'n' roll cliché that the more traumatic the experiences of the protagonist - the more uncomfortable, the harder the fall, the bigger the break-up etc. - the better the resultant material produced. 'No Words Left' is no exception to that rule. Before you read that Rose is coming out of the back of a year she says was "one of the hardest times of [her] life", you can actually hear it in the music. There is still an underlying tenderness to Rose's work but her newest songs are no longer tender and sweet, they're tenderness imparted through agonising loss, longing or crushing disappointment. 

The title of Rose's latest eleven-track album is something of a paradox as Rose is at her most expressive and eloquent on 'No Words Left'. From the opening track of 'Confines Of This World' through to the close-out track 'What Does It Take', Rose lays herself bare. There is a rawness and an edge here that's rarely manifested itself in this form on previous work and it's a very welcome departure. Whilst expressing herself candidly, Rose captures quite brilliantly the anguish and contradictory nature of working through strained relationships. 

Continue reading: Lucy Rose - No Words Left Album Review

Lucy Rose's third studio album is a more delicate and stripped-down affair than her previous records, the title says it all really; Something's Changing. The 29 year-old, who's probably also best known for her occasional contributions to Bombay Bicycle Club, feels more confident and confessional here. It's a sound that really suits her with glimpses of the likes of Carole King hiding under the surface of these eleven songs. The focus is very much on Rose's voice throughout, and that can only be a good thing.

Recorded in seventeen days in Brighton, Something's Changing doesn't feel rushed or too sparse in its arrangement. It's ambitious when it wants to be with brass and piano creeping in to flesh out the guitar, bass, and drums dynamic of her core band. The guest appearances also don't overwhelm, with subtle flourishes from the likes of Daughter's Elena Tonra and rather importantly two tracks featuring the wonderful harmonies of The Staves. The latter certainly seem to play a key role as their influence seems to extend beyond their contributions to 'Is This Called Home' and 'Floral Dresses'. Rose may well have taken note of The Staves' development as they've worked with Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, it's most apparent as the brass section swells during closing track 'I Can't Change It All'. Rose's heartbreak is enveloped by the strings and trumpets as a slide guitar fades into the background and she sings to a former lover; "I could give you warmth in your darkest nights". At its core that's actually a metaphor for the power of all of the songs featured on Something's Changing.

Lets rewind to the stark and brief introduction to the album though. Rose's voice is accompanied by a harp and she repeats the refrain: "Feeling it all, the good, the bad, the happy, the sad". If these songs act as a cathartic narrative encompassing all of those elements, perhaps it's little surprise that she reaches such a clear-eyed conclusion as the brass section signposts the emotional climax of the album. The material that makes up the body of Something's Changing may fall conveniently into a pretty traditional Folk setting with one eye firmly on the likes of Neil Young's Harvest, but Rose succeeds in making these songs her own. It's her honesty that steers them away from being derivative.

Continue reading: Lucy Rose - Something's Changing Album Review

Just as it is right and proper that you support your local football team, regardless of their performance, so it is I think that you should support your local festival. (Lounge On The Farm, set in the idyllic Kent countryside just outside Canterbury, is mine). Not everyone can go to Glastonbury and not everyone should support Manchester United; it's not all about the most money, the highest gate or the biggest names. If in doubt, there is always pride, hope, aspiration and an undying loyalty that should lead you to see the positives.

Lounge On The Farm had been going from strength to strength in recent years with numbers swelling, performance areas and performers growing in number and, in general terms, their pedigree rising year on year. Last year may have not seemed like that upon early inspection but it turned out to be a triumph of instinctive and intuitive booking: Emeli Sande (What a year she had in the end), Nile Rogers with Chic (After their Daft Punk collaboration LOTF would have had no chance this year and he didn't even headline), Dexys, The Charlatans (Both enjoying a critical resurgence) and The Wombats etc.

This year the line-up didn't look that strong, or seemed to have strength in depth, and in part that was true. It was a little like seeing your team climb from the fourth tier of the football league, show real championship playoff potential and then have their hopes scuppered by premiership teams coming in for your best players leaving you with no time, or money, left for a new signing. 2 years ago the Vaccines played at about 4pm, as did Spektor. Graham Coxon was somewhere in a far off field and Katy B wooed the crowd in the early evening before The Streets, Ellie Goulding and finally, but magnificently, Echo & The Bunnymen brought the weekend to a close. (Oh yeah and Example and Annie Mac came too....there were real decisions to be made)

Continue reading: Lounge On The Farm - Merton Farm, Kent 26th-28th July 2013 Live Review

Lucy Rose's past endeavours include working extensively with Bombay Bicycle Club and developing her own brand of tea; two things that really could have been jobs for life. Bombay are doing really well at the moment having supported Blur for their Hyde Park Olympics Closing Ceremony show and having also played some massive festival slots this summer. As for the tea, well, it's all sold out now unfortunately but she could always open up a café in her rural Warwickshire village and call it something along the lines of 'Lucy's Rosy Lee.'

Continue reading: Lucy Rose, Like I Used To Album Review

The broad church that supports the collective assembly of Communion Records was only formed 6 years ago through the vision of Ben 'Mumford' Lovett, bassist Kevin Jones and producer Ian Grimble. From its early roots as a club night, it has now flourished into an umbrella that nurtures, produces and records some of the most interesting and individual emerging talents around. Communion Records has already had a helping hand in the development of Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Matthew And The Atlas, Alessi's Ark, Pete Roe and Lissie to name but a few. 'Communion: New Faces' represents the label's third full-length compilation and contains no less than 20 tracks from a diverse string of like-minded artists.

Continue reading: Various Artists, Communion: New Faces Album Review