Amy MacDonald - A Curious Thing LP 2010

 

I have little idea whether Amy MacDonald is an obscure artiste or is a household name. I heard the single 'Don't Tell Me That It's Over' on 6 Music and gave the LP a go and have quite enjoyed the whole experience.

I can't quite see who she is aimed at really, as this is neither overtly commercial, nor acoustic folk, nor the stuff of a standard female singer songwriter. Amy MacDonald sits somewhere in the twilight zone between all three and hence drops below the radar of quality music hunters.

In reality this is muscular folk-pop with strong lyrics and vocals reminiscent of a cross between Shakira, Cara Dillon and the Proclaimers, with just a hint of Fairport Convention. A worrying combination if ever there was one! Bizarrely the whole thing is a hugely enjoyable, unpretentious sing-a-long with 'Next Big Thing', 'This Pretty Face', 'Love Love' just some of the highlights.

The only drawback is one or two predictable ballads and the bonus track; a Springsteen cover! Bonus tracks are always terrible but 'Born to Run'! I almost didn't write this post because of the this gross error of judgement, but on the whole, it would be unfair to dismiss the whole barrel because of one rotten apple.