Something I thought many of you might enjoy: a song from the first solo album by the female singer of the quirky, electronic band from England, Lamb. This album is dreamy, wistful acoustic guitar folky, quiet, bittersweet, and in a lot of ways is an improvement over the type of music she was doing with her former band. IMO, its much more suited to her beautiful singing voice than her previous projects.

Here's a short review:

IndieLondon Rating: 4 out of 5

FOR some ten years, Lou Rhodes was the principle songwriter and vocalist for Lamb, the outfit behind the seminal track, Gorecki.

Yet she has decided to split from her production partner, Andrew Barlow, to pursue a different musical direction – one that strips away the drum ‘n’ bass rhythms and big beats in favour of spacious echoes, hand drum percussion, Chinese violins and Tuvan guitars.

The result is an utterly beguiling listen – one that embodies that hypnotic, haunting vocal style that could be found throughout Lamb’s best moments, but one which has taken on a beautiful melancholy to boot.

Beloved One is a revelation of an album, a quietly engaging listen that just keeps getting better the more you give into its charms.

Recorded at Ridge Farm, a small commune of 17th Century buildings and modern facilities built on 13 acres of land in Surrey, the album charts the journey of self-discovery that Lou began upon quitting Lamb to pursue a solo career.

It is far more simple than some of Lamb’s compositions, with Lou playing acoustic guitar throughout, yet it barely skips a beat, maintaining a level of quality that wasn’t always apparent in Lamb’s work.

Highlights include the brooding Fortress, which is built around a compelling acoustic guitar loop and the story of ‘a lost little boy crying out to be seen’.

And the staggeringly beautiful No Re-Run which unfolds using a Chinese violin to create a backdrop that evokes memories of the beautiful accompanying soundtrack to films such as House of Flying Daggers. Lou’s stark vocals seem to compliment the violins effortlessly.

Her vocals adopt a husky, Norah Jones-style for Save Me, another tender moment that combines more violins and acoustic chords.

While there is a really great percussion to accompany the more ambitious and fuller sounding Inlakesh, another daydream of a record that is great played loud.

The dreamy style that accompanies the probing questions of Why draw the album to a suitably satisfying close, while that same serene beauty resonates throughout Treat Her Gently, which really does evoke memories of the quiet, slow-building first half of Gorecki.

Need any more convincing? Fans of Lamb should definitely flock to this beautiful record.



RIYL: Laura Viers, Sam Phillips, beautiful dreamy folk tunes with gorgeous melodies




Check this out, you won't be sorry:

Lou Rhodes - Fortress