Released: 22nd March 2019
Rating: ★★★★
It may have been less than two years since Lucy Rose’s last record, but it appears plenty a lot can change in 20 months. A self-confessed grown-up, and feeling confined by the city she fled to ‘make it’, she stands on the cusp of deciding how she wants the rest of her life to pan out – settle for a draw or chase what you always knew you were capable of?
Growing tougher and older, ‘No Words Left’ sees her ruminate on this dark period of her life with defiance – no song is overworked to hide its message, and all raw edges remain intact, from the minimal piano of ‘Solo’ to ‘Treat Me Like A Woman’, which features a sliding, country guitar that suits the deeper register of her voice. Taking on themes of social equality and politics for the first time, her message is all the stronger for its restrained anger – the sonic equivalent of saying your piece and having the strength to walk away, knowing when you’ve made your mark.
Lucy Rose’s success may seem like a slow-burning one, but while others are emerging and disappearing just as quickly, Rose has stuck firmly to her strengths – crafting heartbreaking, gentle melodies that hurt as much as they heal.
Jenessa Williams
