The Beat Surrender

Rooted in Folk but with so much more besides, the debut effort from this flame haired femme is an ethereal delight that flows magically from one glorious number to the next, oozing seamless quality. Songs which are so personal and truly heartfelt you feel like you know this talented lady a little more with each listen.

Having been surrounded by creativity within her family whilst growing up in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, Rosie always had music in her blood and it flows through her blue veins with a genuine emotion that is startlingly raw and weathered by life and love. A certain need for ‘progression’ and ‘moving forward’ comes across strongly throughout and could be described as the overall theme here, almost concept like. Brass and strings feature heavily and the arrangements are sublime, accompanying Rosie’s piano in many different styles and working well together in each of them.

‘Moving On’ was recorded in Alston, Cumbria with Joss Clapp on production, as well as backing vocal and mandolin duties. Mixing and mastering with additional recordings brought together by Mark Sturgess at Soundstation, Horbury Bridge. Between them they can be very proud of this maiden solo effort. It has an accessibility that could really take it places with a little good fortune, always needed in the difficult process of crossing over into the ‘bigger leagues’. It certainly has the same level of class as fellow local songstress Corrine Bailey Rae’s debut, which went on to huge success internationally.

Since returning home from trying to conquer the big smoke, like many confident young musicians tend to do prematurely. Rosie has moved on considerable amounts already, using her experiences as the benchmark for some of these poignant lyrics.

The resulting Mill Lane project, started with old friend Ben Murray, had its moments and the two worked well together through 2004, earning a Radio 2 Folk Award nomination in the process but Miss Doonan always saw herself as a solo artist and decided to make the step of going it alone. I can’t say I’m surprised with a collection of songs this good in her locker!

Opening track ‘I Need You Around’ is taken from those Mill Lane days but has been updated and revitalised. The rolling piano welcomes us into her slightly haunting vocal that, dare I say often recalls Katie Melua but with much more charm and character. The unsettling violin combines beautifully and makes way for some mariachi style trumpet that gives a feeling of real quality from the off and a solid start to the album.

The feathered snare, at the start of ‘Time’ evokes kicking leaves on an autumn stroll before her angelic voice and emollient piano bring the sunshine through naked trees, all slowly building into layers of string laden reflection. Next up, we have the swinging ‘That Boy’, a joyous irony of lost love, complete with skipping beats and chugging guitars that move us into a rousing chorus with short bursts of brass adding plenty of style and substance.

The songs flow along with purpose, always reflecting the overall hypothesis and most fittingly on ‘Moving On’. Her whimsical Celtic tone and acoustics float along at first, always “searching for a place to call my own”. It builds gently and then breaks into an upbeat jig with added tenacity in the purposeful beats. It’s striking that she means every single word and has put everything into these songs; recording must have been emotionally exhausting. The overlapping harmonies wash over and take us into ‘Hold On’.

I feel I need to review each song individually here, as every one of them holds so much more than the one previously. I suspect that more secrets will reveal themselves with each listen. It’s that kind of collection.
This raw and simple interlude shows her voice in all its glory, almost acapella and backed with lucid piano that is pleasant enough while also being low-key and making the following ‘Little Boat’ really shimmer. Arguably the albums highlight, it could galvanize the hardest, humdrum of souls. From its dramatic violin intro and an innocent fairy-like creeping verse that bursts into a moving, melancholy chorus which stirs up all manner of feeling. A folk gem with a conscience, lines such as “Margaret was a bitch / who tore down all the pits” are always relevant around this part of the world.

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