Wallis Bird - Counting To Sleep

 

There has been a surge in the last couple of years in angsty, mouthy female singer-songwriters, and the very swift success of artists such as Kate Nash, Adele and Duffy (this just in the last few months) leads one to believe that the trend sees no sign of diminishing just yet.

But do we really need another semi-acoustic female singer-songwriter? The answer, in the case of Wallis Bird, is yes.

The Irish singer has already achieved some success with the release of her EP The Moodsets and debut album Spoons, and in March she releases new single ‘Counting to Sleep’, a quirky, clever portrayal of two joyriders falling in love over shared insomniac driven nights.

The song has a strong melody, led by Bird’s carefree, unconventional strumming, and goes from angry to sparkly and buoyant in the transition from verse to chorus, subtly reflecting the moodiness found in many a young female – the song is natural, real and honest. There is soulfulness and intensity in Bird’s voice that sets her apart from other female singer-songwriters, yet the song is energetic, radio-friendly, and one of those rare tracks that’s guaranteed to appeal to pretty much everybody.

The b-side sees Bird cover The Feeling’s ‘Sewn’. A gorgeous, tuneful number anyway, Bird somehow makes it powerfully raw, stripping back the instrumentation used on the original and replacing it instead with vocal harmonies, in the shape of haunting ‘ooh’s and aah’s’. Her voice is at times is so delicate it goes right under the skin – from the soulfulness of Winehouse to the sweetness of Laura Marling, and what’s more, it's effortless to her.

While Counting To Sleep breaks no great boundaries, Wallis Bird’s lyrics and original take on grunge folk set her apart from the Sandi Thom’s of the world. Definitely one to watch.

Laura Rodwell

Get Counting To Sleep from iTunes

No comment posted

Add your comment

< Prev		Next >