After a recording hiatus of 17 years, Martine McCutcheon has discarded the musical covers and pop ballads that adorned her earlier releases and presented a more mature, rockier sound grounded in heart-felt lyrical realism and honesty.
While the singles Say I’m Not Alone and Any Sign of Life are upbeat and anthemic, songs such as What You Do To Me, Maybe I should Run and Stay With Me show a peak in originality as well as a strong creativity with her husband, producer Jack McManus.
The albums overall live feel (no fade outs – giving each song a sense of completeness) gives Martine’s vocal an honest and more pleasing quality than ever before. Her stunning cover of The Police’s Every Breath You Take with piano accompaniment commands the minds ear to give a standing ovation at the end.
Martine McCutcheon may have been lost to the music business for a while, but as this album proves, she has well and truly now been found.
Andy Howells