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| Artist: Beth Rowley
Label: Universal
Category: Music
List Price: £16.99
Buy New: £8.98
You Save: £8.01 (47%)
New (31) Used (3) Collectible (1) from £6.39
Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 393
Media: Audio CD
Running Time: 40
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
UPC: 602517547131
EAN: 0602517547131
ASIN: B0011V97G0
Release Date: May 19, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 Good debut with room for improvement June 1, 2008
15 out of 17 found this review helpful
Beth Rowley's voice isn't as distinctive as the voices of her nearest `rivals', Amy Winehouse and Duffy, that's not necessarily a bad thing but it does mean that some of her songs, such as "So sublime" and "You never called me tonight", can seem a bit bland.
What singles her out from her contemporaries is that as well as singing pop and 'reconstituted 60s soul' she also sings `da blues'. However, she's no Susan Tedeschi and I find that her take on Blind Willie Johnson's "Nobody's fault but mine" is a bit dull. Similarly, her producer has taken Jim Crawford's "When the rains came" - which Jim recorded with just his guitar and voice - added a full band with Hammond organ, slide guitar and gospel backing singers and turned a masterpiece of understatement into overblown mediocrity. She's not exactly ruined a great song (that would be perfect for a cover by Joe Cocker) but she's missed all the subtleties of the song and its original performance. I also find the modern blues "One cloud" to be pretty average.
I think that when she leaves the blues behind she's a lot better - "Sweet hours" and "Oh my life" both work perfectly as modern pop/soul, as do the gospel-influenced "Almost persuaded" and the reggae version of Dylan's "I shall be released". The real revelation for me was her duet with Duke Special on Willie Nelson's "Angel flying too close to the ground" where her voice is thoughtful and vulnerable, and which for me was one of her best vocal performances.
It's commendable that Beth and her producers have tried to include different types of music into the mix of her debut CD but I feel that for much of the blues-based material her voice can't really carry the songs and their arrangements.
[] Little Dreamer May 30, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
So here we have another addition to the fast becoming, predominantly white uk soul music scene. After listening to this album I originally wasnt sure that it had the raw kick that I felt with Amy Winehouse and her voice wasnt as raunchy either but after a few more listens I began to feel the emotion she sings with and began to appreciate the soulfulness of her songs. As the amazon review states, she has played it safe with this album and I hope that any future albums she does will be more raw!
But don't get me wrong, this is a brilliant attempt for a debut album and I do like her music...
Stand out tracks =
So Sublime
I Shall Be Released
Nobodys Fault But Mine
You Never Called Me Tonight
Beautiful voice but some weak songs May 29, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
If there is an artist who is likely to be very successful this year it must be Beth Rowley. She has the looks and the voice to make a very big impact, and I am guessing a pretty good agent as she seems to be receiving a lot of promotion. I've listened to her album a few times now and bought it on the strength of hearing "Nobody's Fault but Mine". To me that is one of the strongest songs on the album. However, some of the songs are painfully middle of the road and to me fairly forgettable, like "Sweet Hours". I just wish that she had opted for a little more blues and less MOR. However, if you like Norah Jones, Amy Winehouse then you won't be disappointed
 To the Lovely Beth May 27, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Been waiting for a while for this album Since Sweet Hours EP Which I bought as soon as I heard her at a Gig at "The Hare on The Hill". It doesn't dissapoint. I like the reworkings of 'Sweet Hours' and 'Nobodys Fault', The released tracks and 'Almost Persuaded'. Look forward to seeing you again. A Huge Fan.
Brilliant May 22, 2008
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
There are many run of the mill female singers out there, Beth is not one of them.
She is a joy to listen to, and her tone and intonation is superb
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