The rather sad theme of Birdy’s first fell-length U.S. release is longing—yearning for love, for understanding, for connection. “Wings,” perhaps the most familiar track in the set, is about great love frustrated by distance. “All You Never Say,” by contrast, is about distance felt in a very close relationship. Woven between are “Heart of Gold” and “Words as Weapons,” two songs about love being returned with harshness and envy, and “Strange Birds,” about feeling ugly and invisible.
These ballads make the album a little heavy, so it’s refreshing when a more positive, upbeat track like “Maybe” comes along. What truly saves the album, however, is Birdy’s optimism, which cuts at times weakly but persisently through the obstacles she writes about. The eleventh-hour track, “Shine,” seems to best encapsulate her—if you’ll excuse the triteness—Fire Within (“if the world gets you down don’t be afraid to wrestle it / if your heart tells you to then who are you to question it?").
Birdy has a great ear for a hook and a poetic sensibility. Her lyrics are direct yet insightful, refreshing these days, when many artists seem to think lyrics must be abstract riddles. Her melodies are fairly traditional singer-songwriter faire, but the haunting tone of her voice—reminiscent of alternative crossover artists like Ellie Goulding and Florence Welch—adds a richer, emotive quality than is heard from Birdy's pop and AC contemporaries, who often sound like little girls (I won’t name names). As her songs make clear, Birdy is a woman, and with this album, she has established herself as someone to watch for, and listen to.
Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭ (A)
Best tracks: Wings, Heart of Gold, Shine, All About You.
These ballads make the album a little heavy, so it’s refreshing when a more positive, upbeat track like “Maybe” comes along. What truly saves the album, however, is Birdy’s optimism, which cuts at times weakly but persisently through the obstacles she writes about. The eleventh-hour track, “Shine,” seems to best encapsulate her—if you’ll excuse the triteness—Fire Within (“if the world gets you down don’t be afraid to wrestle it / if your heart tells you to then who are you to question it?").
Birdy has a great ear for a hook and a poetic sensibility. Her lyrics are direct yet insightful, refreshing these days, when many artists seem to think lyrics must be abstract riddles. Her melodies are fairly traditional singer-songwriter faire, but the haunting tone of her voice—reminiscent of alternative crossover artists like Ellie Goulding and Florence Welch—adds a richer, emotive quality than is heard from Birdy's pop and AC contemporaries, who often sound like little girls (I won’t name names). As her songs make clear, Birdy is a woman, and with this album, she has established herself as someone to watch for, and listen to.
Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭ (A)
Best tracks: Wings, Heart of Gold, Shine, All About You.
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