Sarabeth Tucek – Get Well Soon

Sarabeth Tucek's second album is, as the title suggests, about illness – bodily and mental – and its overcoming. From the record's opening line, “The world turned upside down,” a narrative unfolds that works through themes of bereavement, vulnerability and survival. On Smile For No One, The New Yorker's sense that, alone, she is “free, but it's not better” captures Get Well Soon's powerful emotional ambivalence.

Tucek's voice and lyrics have a directness and intimacy which ensure that she stands alongside peers like Laura Marling, although that cannot fully compensate for a slight lack of imagination in the arrangements. The record's themes are explored through the juxtaposition of sparse, mournful pieces like A View, and bruised country rock. On the closing title track, Tucek's realisation that 'looking back' her mind 'was cracked', completes the record's sense of progression and ultimate resolution – ensuring that Get Well Soon has a compelling narrative cohesion. [Sam Wiseman]