Artist:
Album: Untitled Ep
Reviewer Danny Foulkes
If Ed Sheeran is up and coming, and you probably know the rest of the quotation, then Caomhe (pronounced ‘Keeva’) deserves the same meteoric rise.
Here is a girl still in her late teens who sings her country-influenced pop rock with a maturity and depth that many significantly more experienced artists fail to achieve. This untitled, 5 track EP is quite brilliant. With stated influences such as Taylor Swift and Norah Jones, she sets her benchmark high, but vocal performances that channel the likes of Alanis Morissette and Catie Curtis ensure that she doesn’t disappoint.
This collection of simple tracks is easily and immediately accessible. The opening acoustics of ‘Second Best’ have a resonant beauty that betray Morissette’s influence almost straight away, but this is more than derivative mimicry. The melodic similarities soon give way to something that is more uniquely Caomhe by the second track, ‘Fool For Love’. This is a catchy, mid-paced singalong that sticks in the mind like a burrowing ear worm – soft rock in all the best traditions of the genre.
‘Perfect Darkness’ would sit well on any Michelle Branch or Wrecker’s album. It is well crafted, mellow, and allows Caomhe to showcase the different aspects of her vocal style. She clearly has a beautiful voice, as this track makes plain.
The equally effective closing two tracks wrap up what is essentially an extremely strong debut, with production values as robust and competent as the material recorded. Lyrically, Caomhe writes well; there may be more than a smattering of romantic angst peppering the songs, but it never strays into maudlin or depressing introspection.
I would strongly recommend this release. My only criticism is that it is too short.
Tracklisting:
- Second Best (3.13)
- Fool For Love (3.13)
- Perfect Darkness (3:54)
- Streetlights (3:13)
- Only Human (4:14)
Final Rating: 4 stars out of 5
