Rae Morris

Perhaps one of the most surprising features of 2014 musically was a resurgence in domestic artists amongst the UK's best sellers, a charge led by the likes of Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith which saw the once dominant Americans left outside the top 10 for the first time in years.

There were many reasons for this - some, if not all, appearing to be in some way related to Taylor Swift - but the main takeaway from it seems that our love affair with the singer songwriter remains unquenched. Also notable was the re-emergence of Kate Bush for a lengthy string of well, challenging live shows, the reclusive doyen reconnecting with press and public alike to remind us that despite her weaknesses for over-elaboration, she remains one of the 20th century's most iconic Bohemians.

Both of these facts will surely hold some fascination for Rae Morris, a 22-year-old from the North West who's a big fan of Bush and, with her début album 'Unguarded', is about to enter into a log-jammed solo market with a work of distinction. Nurtured by her major label over the last three years in a way that suggests they feel they have a potential talent not to be rushed, it feels like a body of work conceived in a New York loft rather than the faded glamour of Blackpool, but whatever Morris has been channelling as a muse, the results seem set to catapult her into the public's conscience.

Continue reading: Rae Morris - Unguarded Album Review