Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

Derbyshire-based singer/songwriter Rosie has teamed up with the likes of the talented Mark Edwards on a plethora of instruments, brass player Cathy Wannall and producer Phil Baggaley (all part of the Midlands-based Open Road musical collective) to offer up something very special indeed. Vocally and stylistically, Meek is in the same vein as fellow folky songstresses Amy MacDonald and Kate Rusby as evidenced by the quirky upbeat opener "How The Mighty Fall" which, complete with some memorable accordion work from Edwards, hooks the listener in from the off and sets the scene for an album of gentle and skilfully delivered pieces. Keeping things generic and mainstream-friendly in the faith stakes, Meek chooses to reference subject matters as authenticity in the catchy "Americano" and creativity ("Something Ordinary") whilst gently denouncing the fame game in the light-hearted "Hollywood". Elsewhere, Meek deftly balances the melancholy of tender songs like "Swallows" and "Chinese Lanterns" with the feel good factor of "Adventure" - marred only by the uncharacteristically painful line "we could go to Brazil or maybe sit and chill" - to make for a nicely varied album that deserves to seep into the nation's consciousness very soon.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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