Sometimes there comes along a talent that’s just too big to ignore. In this instance the talent belongs to Manchester based singer/songwriter Lauren Housley whose debut album, Sweet Surrender, is simply rich, satin coated chocolate for the ears.
From the opening Country styled Nice To see Ya – which has undertones of Shania Twain at her most vampish but is no way a parody, such is the stamp Lauren has placed upon her own style – through to Face The World Alone, a heart-breaking song of such powerful simplicity in its message, but a complex emotional delivery ensures it is one of the most evocative songs out there.
The album’s single, Ghost Town Blues, has been lauded across the BBC Radio 2 playlists by none other than Sir Terry Wogan and Graham Norton, and quite rightly so. The track is every bit as Bluesy as the title suggests, but delivered with such an up tempo, vigorous enthusiasm it is all but impossible not to tap your feet to its beat. This is counter pointed by the following track, When Autumn Came, which is easily the most haunting track on Sweet Surrender, with its fiddles underlay and a mournful piano lending the lyrics an even greater depth and resonance.
In short, Lauren Housley’s Sweet Surrender is a truly wonderful piece of work that deserves every single bit of success that comes its way, as does its singer whose voice is guaranteed to have those who listen to it hitting the repeat button again and again.
Lauren Housley
Sweet Surrender
August 28th, 2015
PR Rating: ***** Sensational