Coffee House Sessions present Ellie Rose, (11/11/2013)

Coffee House Sessions present this week singer/songwriter Ellie Rose; Southampton University was also her first venue. Coffee House Sessions is a project that aims to showcase up and coming talent around universities. It is every other Monday in The Bridge and more importantly is completely free!

Although Ellie Rose is clearly a very talented musician – her voice can hit a fair amount of notes and she writes her own music – sadly, there’s nothing that set her apart from the endless amount of acoustic singers in the music industry.

The tune to her opening song ‘Crayons’ instantly reminded me of Gabrielle Aplin’s music which although I enjoy listening to, I wouldn’t want another singer exactly like her hitting the charts. What Ellie Rose really needed was something niche. She needed a musical flare that showed her to be different from the hundreds of others trying to break the music world.

However, the lyrics were edgy and nostalgic of Kate Nash or Lily Allen. Ellie Rose has stated that her idol is the Mad Hatter which may explain some of the word choices.

During her thirty minute set, Ellie Rose also performed two covers. Firstly, there was an acoustic version of Icona Pop’s ‘I Love It’ which was definitely less hectic than the original. Then a little later, Ellie Rose performed ‘Naïve’ by the Kooks. For me, this was not a highlight. The song is persistently covered by up and coming artists and is never covered in a different way. Like all other covers I’ve experienced, Ellie Rose’s had nothing that showed any spark of innovation. It was well performed but it’s not a single you would scour iTunes to download.

It was a very calm set and pleasant to listen to but lacked vitality and inspiration. For the venue Ellie Rose played in, the music was appropriate.

Overall, Ellie Rose is a talented young singer. Her patterned guitar gives her a quirky style but the music is simply good for what it says on the tin: ‘coffee house sessions’.