Ok, we’ve danced around this Wallis Bird long enough. The odd sheckle thrown our way in the form of a single here or an EP there, maybe the mention of a tour date if you’re lucky. Its time to get down to business and look at the whole package that in this case would be her album ‘Spoons’.
Already the darling of the iTunes store achieving very respectable billing within their top five album releases and proving itself capable of working in the long term by hanging around long after many of its forebears have gone.
Wallis is a singer/songwriter in the acoustic mold but before you go making any assumptions that she is another one of the dreary Jenny come latelys that have been infringing upon our earspace this is one performer who can best be described as having a bit more gumption than others of her ilk. ‘Spoons’ delivers 11 original compositions that in one form or another have more than a little fire in their respective bellies. Opening with the storming ‘Counting To Sleep’ you are immediately given an idea of what to expect. Her strengths lay in her lyrical honesty and her vocal capabilities which swoop and lilt over the often sparse yet strong backings that she provides as templates for her songs, if you want good examples of this then look at tracks like ‘The Circle’ and ‘Blossoms In The Street’ which offer Wallis at her best.
Wallis Bird has been a talent to watch for some time now, nothing has changed in that respect. The album showcases her as a talent that shines in a genre that is in some respects showing dangerous signs of becoming a little tired (lets be fair nobody wants to keep overdosing on dinner party acoustica). Thankfully Miss Bird remains free of such turgid material, a definite breath of fresh air that is all the better for a physical release. If you haven’t got yourself some ‘Spoons’ yet, what on Earth are you waiting for.
