Beth Rowley - Little Dreamer (Album)
This CD has often beckoned to me from the shelves at my local CD store but I have never ventured any further than picking it up and glancing at the cover and then placing it back on the shelf. The photos of Beth within the CD sleeve look almost ethereal, a striking young woman with beautiful blonde curls framing her features.
Beth Rowley’s Little Dreamer is unlike anything I have in my CD collection. Her voice is soulful and dreamy – Jazz and classical influences evident in the tracks, with touches of gospel at times also – but also strong and commanding, she has great control of her vocal instrument.
Her 11 Track Album is a mix of original tracks interwoven with beautiful covers such as I Shall Be Released by Bob Dylan, Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground by Willie Nelson and When The Rains Came by Jim Crawford.
Beth has a number of musicians joining her on Little Dreamer, including a choir that accompanies her at times – each track sounds rich and full, the collection of accompanying musicians adding further depth to her voice, reminding me of songs of old, that beautiful big band feel of the jazz greats.
It only took one or two listens for this album to be a favourite– it brightened my mood on a dull winter day. In some ways, it is hard to pick a favourite track, I really enjoyed just putting on the CD and going about my day, with the beautiful sound pleasantly colouring my background noise.
With limited information within the CD sleeve, I did a quick search on the Internet to understand where Beth is at in her career. At 26, born to British parents in Peru and raised in Bristol, the singer/songwriter is described as having “towering vocals and sophisticated, gospel-tinged sound”. Little Dreamer has made an impact on the UK charts, going straight to number 6 and Beth has supported such artists as David Gray, Tom Baxter and Duke Special, who also appears on her album.
Beth Rowley’s Little Dreamer is stunning. For a debut Album it is well constructed, the tracks flow beautifully and equally each track is beautiful in their individual right also. The album is a little short at 39 minutes, but not so short that it feels abrupt in its ending.
