Lou Cowell is a television presenter, author, Reiki master, and co-founder of a wildlife organisation. Impressive. Now she’s trying her hand at being a singer-songwriter, and one might say surprisingly, is very good at it.

This debut studio album, descriptively entitled ‘I…um…’ is fantastic. Filled with epic piano-heavy ballads, Cowell’s sound encompasses the epic beauty of artists like Sarah McLachlan alongside the raw feel of edgier artists like Alanis Morissette. To top all that off, Cowell possesses a quality I can only describe as Britishness; and it works brilliantly.

Despite my comparisons with other female artists here, I must point out that Cowell is very unique in terms of style. Her beautiful, emotion-filled lyrical quality is encapsulating, and though the album is quite sombre, it leaves you with a real positive aftertaste.

Happier, upbeat tracks such as ‘Just Like Me’ show a radio-like quality, where more serious tracks like ‘Obvious and ‘Could We Just Kiss?’ explore deep emotional travesties which are both relatable and interesting. The differences between the feel of tracks alerts us to the talent that Cowell possesses; she easily and effectively switches between the two emotions effortlessly.

The album comes together nicely to form a creative, eclectic and plainly intelligent mix of tumultuous emotion-filled lyrics and diverse instruments. This is a fantastic and intriguing first release from a bubbling new artist.

-Lauren Razavi

Links:
www.loucowell.com
www.myspace.com/loucowell