LOLLI WREN – To Build A Sea – review

LOLLI WREN – To Build A Sea – review
independent

I’ve got rather an unseemly crush on Lolli Wren. Quite pathetic, really. A man of my years ought to know better. Kind of thing that gets a chap in trouble. Well, a chap who’s unseemliness isn’t countermanded by an inbuilt sense of honour. One of the many reasons the late Mrs H put up with me.

Anyway, who the hecking heck is Lolli Wren, I hear you cry. Well, according to the blurb, “Lolli Wren is a (Sarf) London-based singer-songwriter with a 4-octave range and a diverse musical style. Her debut album, To Build a Sea, explores themes of self-discovery, resilience and healing through 10 tracks.”

So now you know. Crack on, then. Oh, right, information and whatnots. Fine.

First of all, Ms Wren has an absolutely splendid voice. But more importantly, she knows when to use it. There’s none of that, mental as anything, caterwauling so beloved of reality TV music shows. I’ve no doubt she could manage it easily but knowing when not to go for it, is just as important as, um, going for it.

Musically, we’re in a hybrid world of Tori Amos, All About Eve, that lassie out of the Innocence Mission, what was her name, saw them live in that there London, they were great, dream-pop, alt-folk, even some ambient prog-lite. Which is nice. Lyrically, there is a lot of dark imagery but it’s balanced with sporadic notions of hope. Just because I’ve given up, doesn’t mean others should follow my example. In fact, when I was a proper person and had to do the whole mentory thing, I made it very clear to do the exact opposite of everything I’d done in life.

I enjoy the bleakness mentioned above, which is evident in the best of the songs. The bestest of those is probably ‘All Mine’, although it’s given a run for its money by ‘I Can’t Decide’. However, if I were to force someone to listen to one of Ms Wrens songs, it would be ‘Want To Want You’. That’s the one that would have been a hit single, in a righteous world.

Those are my favourites, although there isn’t a duff track here. The musical accompaniment is, generally, subdued but does a bang up job of framing her voice, and the songs. A most excellent release.

https://lolliwren.com/