Lucy Rose – Something’s Changing

Ah, the travails of being a female singer-songwriter in an age of superabundance. It may be John Lewis we have to thank but you can’t turn on the TV these days without hearing some super-mega hit of yore retooled for lady and/or piano and acoustic guitar. The problem, of course, is that when you join the horde – as Lucy Rose did with her version of Primal Scream’s Movin’ on Up to make sure we all bought a Sony Xperia Z1 phone – well, it can be a little hard to be taken seriously. 

And undoubtedly, Rose has shown promise. Her debut album, Like I Used To, had gusto (check out Bikes and you’ll see what we mean) but it’s hard to make a place for yourself. There’s only one Laura Marling, right?

Thankfully, on third full-length Something’s Changed Rose seems to have dispensed with an ardent desire to please. She’s embraced her inner Beth Orton, and she’s ploughing her own furrow. Yes, you can still hear influences as diverse as Joni Mitchell (Love Song), Carole King (Second Chance) and Rosie Thomas (Floral Dress) but with each song her distinction grows.

Something’s Changed feels like Lucy Rose’s most confident collection. You get the sense she’s been through the mill a bit (or maybe she’s put herself through the mill in order to make these songs as strong as she can make them); howsoever, it’s been worth the journey. If you’ve yet to dabble with Lucy Rose, there couldn’t be a better time.

Listen to: Is This Called Home, Second Chance, No Good At All