Alice May – Singles

Alice May – Singles Review

The spirit of music is strong in this one.

As subtle as it may appear…there’s a gentle magic and sweet mix of powerful emotions on display throughout the music being made by Alice May, singer/songwriter based out of the UK.  Word on the street is that she’s on the verge of releasing her debut EP called Transparent this month sometime soon – and after everything I’ve heard here in these singles I’ve got on my playlist, I’m definitely excited.  What a beautiful voice & what a beautiful soul!  It’s comforting to know she’s finding her way to the place where she belongs…you can absolutely hear in the way she sings with such remarkable sincerity & authenticity that this is truly what she was born to do.

I’ll prove that to ya throughout this review, though for the record, her music will too.  I’ve got three cuts to introduce you to Alice May’s music, one from this year, and one from each year prior.  My OCD nature & need for sequence had me listening to what she’s accomplished in the past first, by listening to her 2017 original single called “If I Go Quiet.”  Lots of things jumped out at me…for instance, when I realized she’s just about to put out her debut EP this year – and she was already THIS good two years ago…well…dear readers, dear friends, I think we’re all in for something special this July with the release of the Transparent EP.  Sure there’s a more raw, stripped-back, and honest, straight-ahead recording going on here with “If I Go Quiet” – but it’s one that fully reveals just how much of the X-factor Alice May has always had inside her, waiting for her moment in time.  I’ve read her bio online – she’s a ‘mum to one, stepmum to two’ – and we all know raising kids ain’t anything less than time consuming, as awesome as they most assuredly all are.  The point is…Alice is an artist with a gorgeous voice, an artist with a genuine gift for songwriting, and an artist that definitely deserves her moment in the spotlight.  On the strengths of a fragile performance that echoes the sentiment of her lyrics, Alice sings “If I Go Quiet” with insightfully well-matched, pensive energy that reflects the internal thoughts she expresses in the isolation she finds in her mind while she muses on life & love.  While the passing of time will of course eventually reveal “If I Go Quiet” to be one of her earlier tunes, pre-dating her official EPs and albums to come over the years to follow – the raw beauty she finds in the melody of her songwriting absolutely hits the mark – the chorus of this song alone should be the clincher for any set of ears listening.  I know it was for me – I felt like Alice essentially had me at hello – I really love how she sings.

Then a year ago, she popped another stunning acoustic gem online called “As I Am,” proving that all this fine lady ever needs is her voice & a guitar, and she’s ready to roll.  She’s got another really strong but subtle tune on her hands here…”If I Go Quiet” reminded me somewhat of something like an Iron & Wine style of writing, whereas a track like “As I Am” sounds much closer to the songs of K’s Choice at their most humble and isolated.  Either way, you can’t lose as far as either of those comparisons are concerned, or whichever ones you might come up with yourself – and the real bottom-line is, Alice May has her own thing goin’ on at the end of the day.  There’s identity here in her voice that you can hear and a sincerity that the people listening will connect with…what she’s creating, is memorable music.  And you know the best part all this?  No matter what comparisons any of us could make – “As I Am” is audible proof that she’s ready to put her own authentic-self out there into the world for all to see.  Embracing the beauty, embracing the flaws – and unafraid to explore both through her songwriting, words, and imagery – Alice shows tremendous strength in her music, even when she sounds like she’s a heartbeat away from breaking down entirely.  “As I Am” is ultimately about acceptance, pursuing dreams, and embracing uniqueness…Alice does an exceptional job in getting the emotion into her performance and the meaning into her words as a result.  I also think she’s got a highly relatable tune on her hands here…one that a lot of listeners out there will connect with and feel like they’ve experienced themselves at some point in time along the way…we all want to be accepted, we all want to be loved for what we are and nothing more – Alice sweetly nails feelings like these with the way she sings, 100%.

So let’s be clear – Alice has always had ‘it’ – these two songs from her past prove that.

Just so happens that she sounds like she’s doing ‘it’ better than she ever has on her latest material.

Alice May my dear…you should be extremely proud of what you’ve accomplished with the brand-new single “Home (Where The Heart Is)” – I felt like this brought all the best elements of what you do straight to the surface of this song for all to hear clearly.  What I absolutely LOVE about what’s happening on this single, is that Alice takes her performance so much further here; she preserves the sweetness & fragility we love in her voice, but she’s projecting with a strength & confidence that completely gets the best out of her that we’ve heard to-date.  She goes beyond beautiful into a true mix of grace, uniqueness, and spectacular tone, maximizing the potential of the sweetness of “Home (Where The Heart Is)” – this is the singer you can hear exists in her early material, fully going after her moment in the spotlight and making the most of it.  Realized potential – that’s what I’m saying…this is Alice May as she’s always been meant to sound – and the hearts & minds of the people out there are going to receive this artist with open arms & open ears if this first single from the new Transparent EP is any indication.  “Home (Where The Heart Is)” is a blissful reminder of what ‘home’ is really all about…where you’ll truly find it – ‘where the heart is,’ as she explains throughout her latest song – Alice defines ‘home’ in many ways that reveal just how grateful & appreciative she is in her own world…she’s thankful for the ‘home’ she has & the ones she’s come to know throughout her life – and she’s passing that comfort onto us by inviting us in to share this quaint & subtly charming single.  The guitar is equally beautiful in many ways as it sparkles throughout the music of “Home (Where The Heart Is)” – but there’s not much that can be done to take your ears off this single’s main star when it comes to this song, nor would you want to.  Alice May sounds absolutely spellbinding & sweet as she finds the true heart in this new tune and embraces the performer, artist, songwriter, & entertainer she’s always been meant to be.

Find out more about Alice May at Facebook here:  https://www.facebook.com/alicemaymusic

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