Libby was among the first to submit her CD and I couldn’t have wished for a better start. Let me explain.
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The CD seems to be home produced, complete with the dreaded adhesive label on the CD itself. As this was lifting at the edges it soon jammed in my car CD player and was eventually extracted. It would have been easy to put it to one side and not listen any further but I had been captivated by her voice from the little bit I had heard before the disc jammed, so I copied it from a CD drive with greater clearance for the disc to spin. I was glad I did! (I must say though, as I’ve pointed out in another feature in this column, that home produced CDs should always have a ‘glossy label’, if not printed directly, as these withstand the heat from CD drives and do not peel off so readily. If demos are sent to record companies, there are many who will simply throw it way if it has a matt paper label on it, rather than risk damage.) |
The disc features seven songs and a black & white image of Libby (aka Elizabeth Muter) in a moody pose, shown above. Each track features Libby performing acoustic guitar and vocals.
I was immediately drawn into the first song “ I see you” by the lyric and the richness of the vocal. The next track “Battlestations” drew me in further as the intelligent lyric reflected upon domestic conflict (“Homeless in a house I once called home”). Then the third track “Music Industry” compounded my growing belief that in fact this lady might be something special.
Not afraid to express opinion, she wraps her voice around the words. The warmth and ‘airyness’ of her tone is beautiful. In this song Libby takes a stab at the the music industry’s propensity for bubble gum pop and glorified karaoke, I guess she is referring to shows like the “Pop Idol” and it’s many ‘bastard children’.
There is irony here. Libby is just the kind of voice that would do well in the X Factor. She grabs your ear and then gives it a treat! (“It’s a way to make money and a way to gain fame and I’m telling you, it’s not right”) She could easily progress far in such a competition, but would soon run up against her principles (assuming this song expresses her own principle as opposed to simply making a valid observation) when asked to perform ‘pap pop’ . (Incidentally, watch this site for the forthcoming feature as ne-music attends the X Factor auditions and speaks to some of the hopefuls about their dreams and experiences, as well as taking part in the audition process itself. See the feature on this site for details ) I love this song!
Next is “Don’t take it” (a wry observation on life, as I interpret her words) followed by “Crazy” which graphically expresses the angst of a teenage girl in love. “My Window” reflects upon loneliness and insecurity as the subject lies on her bed looking at the world outside (“many raindrops and still no rainbow”) and pondering her love.
The CD ends with “Dickhead”, as Libby expresses the realisation that someone who was once so close turned into a vain and arrogant ‘dick’.
I can honestly say that I played this CD over and over again, purely for the pleasure of listening to Libby. It’s not often that happens. Everyone I have played it too has said the same thing. This lady has a beautiful voice. She’s a genuine babe!
I even had to do a bit of investigation before writing this to satisfy myself that she was not a young teenager (as implied in one of the songs) before allowing myself to say that, in fact, Libby’s voice is distinctly ‘horny’ in places (a word echoed by two of the people who also heard the CD, so It’s not just that I’m a dirty old man!)
She portrays a sensuality in her vocalisation that is rare. Rich airy tones and a technical ability to slide octaves. She is reminiscent of (though not the same as) some of the great female vocalists from differing genres. Joni Mitchell, Loretta Lynn, Mary Hopkin, Carol King to name but a few. She is every bit as good as those who currently reside in the charts. Laura Michelle Kelly is a recent discovery who is exciting the industry, yet she is not any ‘better’ than Libby. The same can be said of Lene Martin.
The lyrics display intelligence, wit, humour, warmth, passion, sensuality and emotion. They paint pictures most effectively. Her voice displays all the same qualities and I’m not exagerrating when I say that I find her captivating. In working with different female artists I have not found one that so immediately makes you want to listen to her. And then do it again! And Again!
For the sake of balance I must point out a couple of ‘negatives’ too.
I’m assuming that the CD is a demo. The vocal recording is excellent though the sound of the guitar is too ‘boomy’ and it certainly distracts from the listening pleasure. The instrumention is good, though it could benefit from the addition of a few overdubs and frills in the final recorded version to differentiate the ‘sound’ of the tracks. As it stands it is an impressive ‘live set’ but would need some minor polishing and production to make it work as a recorded album, if only to get rid of the ‘boomy’ production on the guitar. These things are said constructively because, if you haven’t gathered, I’m blown away by Libby.
Libby, I guess you may read this yourself at some point. I don’t know your circumstances but would ask you to get in touch to discuss one or two ideas for which you may be supremely suited. I’d also really like to watch your live performance and review that for this site so if you wouldn’t mind letting me know when and where you may next be playing I’d be grateful. Please contact me personally or through your representative at NE Music
mark@ne-music.co.uk
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