Nadine Shah – Dreary Town
- By Sam Herbert -
- Apr 16, 2013
The highly anticipated 'Dreary Town', Nadine Shah’s second EP within the space of six months following the hushed success of 'Aching Bones', was never going to be a cheery record. Shah’s predilection for the lachrymose has helped her in becoming a songstress to look out for: her haunting melodies and sorrowful yearnings have encouraged parts of the music community to proclaim her as “the female Nick Cave” while tipping her for a future Mercury Prize. Praise which is fully justified on listening to the three tracks of Dreary Town.
The title track could slot easily into a Mike Leigh film. Its carousel piano melodically chimes as Shah’s doleful descant defiantly declares, “I’m not going to follow you to the ground, darling I’m leaving this dreary town.” Given its title and brooding melodies it could be easy to mistake the song as one that imbues a sense of disappointment and regret, but, and this is what makes Shah so enticing, it is more a song about a determination to break free from a relationship and a town and move on to “greener pastures waiting to be found.” Much like a Leigh film a sense of possibility drives the song but it is hidden behind the mournful airs of the piano and Shah’s voice.
The opener, 'Bobby Heron', is a sea shanty ballad about Shah’s great-grandmother’s only son who died at sea. With its eerie accordion and the manacle-like rattle of the tambourine the song shows a stripped back side to Shah’s gift as a songstress. Hailing from Whitburn, a small coastal village not far from Newcastle, it is understandable how Shah conjures the image of a ghostly fog rolling in off the North Sea, bringing with it the loss of a young man.
The title track could slot easily into a Mike Leigh film. Its carousel piano melodically chimes as Shah’s doleful descant defiantly declares, “I’m not going to follow you to the ground, darling I’m leaving this dreary town.” Given its title and brooding melodies it could be easy to mistake the song as one that imbues a sense of disappointment and regret, but, and this is what makes Shah so enticing, it is more a song about a determination to break free from a relationship and a town and move on to “greener pastures waiting to be found.” Much like a Leigh film a sense of possibility drives the song but it is hidden behind the mournful airs of the piano and Shah’s voice.
The opener, 'Bobby Heron', is a sea shanty ballad about Shah’s great-grandmother’s only son who died at sea. With its eerie accordion and the manacle-like rattle of the tambourine the song shows a stripped back side to Shah’s gift as a songstress. Hailing from Whitburn, a small coastal village not far from Newcastle, it is understandable how Shah conjures the image of a ghostly fog rolling in off the North Sea, bringing with it the loss of a young man.
Covering a jazz standard like 'Cry Me a River' on your second EP is always a bold statement, especially if the EP has only three songs. Most listeners would already have a preferred version from the innumerable makeovers that it has already received, from Julie London’s 1955 original to the recent nauseatingly dramatic Michael Buble rendition. Yet Shah’s adaptation is beautifully understated. The song’s simple piano backing and trembling strings allow her voice to flourish: its vulnerability is redolent of Jeff Buckley’s sonorous lilt. Packed full of anguish and suffering, Shah’s warble is her most devastating asset – it is the kind of voice that silences a room, arresting the audience with its aching charm.
With Dreary Town Nadine Shah validates the claims that she is one of the acts to look out for in 2013. Now all she needs to do is back it up with an LP and, hey presto, a Mercury nomination should come a knocking.
8/10
With Dreary Town Nadine Shah validates the claims that she is one of the acts to look out for in 2013. Now all she needs to do is back it up with an LP and, hey presto, a Mercury nomination should come a knocking.
8/10
By Sam Herbert. Tweets at @herbert_sam
This guest blog complies to Virgin.com terms & conditions.http://www.virgin.com/music/reviews/nadine-shah-dreary-town
No comments:
Post a Comment