Heartfelt, but as unthreatening to the status quo as Troy Bolton (yet).
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6
“Won’t you come and meet me?” is the question posed to us by Lucy Rose on the opening to her simple yet effective single. As a lead to her new album, ‘Moirai’ is familiar to Rose’s previous listeners, a stripped down, piano driven confessional that laments a past relationship. Her vocals are effortless, easily fleshing out the small details that provide the emotion of the track; a cafe they always visited, a blue front door, the frustration at not having a second chance and her yearning to work things through. The song is upfront at its purpose, and yet dangerously simple.
Ultimately, its simplicity is both what saves it and, as Rose’s own refrain reminds us, what lets her down. The track is at its worst under developed, a break up song that never transcends from Rose herself (not helped in the least by the song’s opaque title), and at risk of being overlooked. At its best, the simplicity of the piano evokes a melancholy tone which showcases the strength of Rose’s voice as what is necessary to provide the emotion that carries the song. Montage ready this song most definitely is, a perfect backdrop to the latest tough character decision or frustrating study session, and there is an easy charm to a song that is what it says on the tin which demands at least a second listen. As a lead for an album, however, the song is ostentatiously the safe choice. Mirroring this sense with the line “what we’ll be/we’ll be”, Rose’s talent is undoubtedly refined, but it lacks the ambition to create a further impact. One can only hope this will develop in the album it serves as a teaser for, promisingly entitled Something’s Changing. Further change will be required, however, if this album is to take Rose to the heights she is capable of reaching.
‘Moirai’ is out now via Communion
