The British singer Billie Marten has a warm voice. She can use that instrument to evoke feelings easily, with a modestly insistent approach on Dog Eared, her new record. The album blends modern production with the naturalistic hues of Seventies Laurel Canyon influences.
On "Feelings" things are simple, Billie's voice revealing debts owed to Joni Mitchell, maybe, while the more complex "Clover" finds Marten's vocals easing their way through nimble keyboard figures. There's a hint of uneasiness here and it gives the track real life. Elsewhere, there's drama in "No Sudden Changes", a number which is quietly tempestuous.
The material on Dog Eared is uniformly good, though a listener can't help but hear something like "Leap Year" and wish for more songs that leaned more on the down-tempo side of things. Billie Marten doesn't overdo anything here, and far too many young singers seem to try so hard that the results can be grating. What makes this record work is that sense of holding emotions in check, and revealing shades of feeling as the compositions progress. It helps that Billie Marten has a warm, inviting voice too.
Dog Eared by Billie Marten is out now. Details via her official website.
[Photo: Frances Carter]