Rebecca Downes

I’ve been enjoying Rebecca Downes’ souful and Bluesy vocals for a few years now but this album, for me, is definitely the best thing she has recorded. She has won a stack of awards in the last few years and this album definitely shows why she is highly thought of.

She seems to have extended her range and she carries passion like very few other singers on the scene today.

The album rocks like a beast from the opening moments of ‘Take Me Higher’ but her band allow her soul and passion to shine out. Musically, the band are tight as a snare and the songs are some of the best she has written – all written with Steve Birkett – across the whole of the Blues/rock/Blue-eyed soul campion,

‘Chains Fall Down’ shows the sensitive side of her vocals and her vocal cuts deep and soulful with an almost Fleetwood Mac like tone to the song.

There isn’t a weak track here, no filler, nothing that doesn’t hit the mark but there are variations of strength with the title track taking the spoils as the most powerful and emotive number on the album, the keyboard sound at the start is just chilling.
‘Stand On My Feet’ is slow and dark, massive soundstage with Ms Downes impassioned and hurt vocals smack in the middle, a great bass line from Dan Clark really underpinning the heartbeat of the song.

‘If I Go To Sleep’ features Alan Nimmo (King King) on guitar but, as with the whole album, it is Rebecca Downes vocals that are the strength of the song.

I have always liked the range of her vocals and she can be sassy or sweet on the turn of a breath but she seems to have taken a huge step up in terms of accessibility with this release.
It is a stunner.