The amazing Florence Sommerville is set to release her debut album this coming Friday. The UK country star has been making waves with her singles, so anticipation is at an all time high already. Without further ado, let’s dive right in and check this out!
The album starts in perfectly chilled-out fashion with ‘(I’ll Be Your) Best Broken Heart’. It gives off a more relaxed, Americana/folk side of country music akin to the likes of Julian Taylor or Lanie Gardner or Taylor Rae. However, it also builds up perfectly into a bigger, catchy chorus just begging to be played to huge festival crowds. The harmonies are incredible and I feel like it’s going to be stuck in my head for days to come. We also get some amazing duelling guitar soloing coming out of the choruses, something that I wasn’t expecting but massively appreciate, showing off the talented blues playing of the band. It honestly gives me Santana vibes in the best ways. It’s a really great way to open the album and set the pace, and is a very easy highlight!
‘Fearless’, though not a Tay Tay cover, is somehow even more country, amazing for a Brit. The strings add a lot to it, but her vocals are also awesome, reminding me a lot of people like Paula Cole and Brandi Carlisle, but also simultaneously Alanis Morissette. Speaking of the former, it’s very much in that vein of early 2000s chilled country that I always seem to associate with shows like Gilmore Girls and Dawsons Creek. It’s a less massive chorus, keeping the more Americana/bluegrass feel, but is no less awesome and catchy. It’s a simple but amazing song written and performed beautifully.
Nearly our song, ‘Overton’, is another slower, chilled-out and stripped-back country banger. It shares a lot of similarities with the previous track but that’s far from an issue, as they’re both so good! I love that it slowly builds throughout too, more and more awesome elements coming in each new parts, and so much amazing soloing. This time I got more Knopfler vibes. It’s honestly a beautiful song, and one that I enjoyed a hell of a lot. Florence’s vocals are insanely impressive!
Single ‘Broken Pieces’ picks up the pace a little again, adding a bit of swing and swagger and attitude to the proceedings. It feels like something that should be played at a smoky jazz club, and doesn’t feel like a far-cry from the likes of Amy Winehouse or Lady Rose. It’s another infectiously catchy chorus too, the rest of the track building to it perfectly. It was a damn good choice for a single! It’s yet another massive album highlight, that’s for sure!
Following one single with another, ‘California’ slows things back down to an almost ballad-pace. It fits in perfectly with the rest of the album, especially ‘Fearless’ and ‘Overton’. However, it does still build into a slightly bigger chorus, and makes for a great relaxed single. And it’s once again catchy as another, and a track that I actually really want to see live, as it gave me enough goosebumps on track! Florence is knocking it out of the park with this release, so far!
The likes of ‘Out Where the Love Grows’, ‘Silly Little Things’ and ‘Forget the Water’ are all pretty similar slower, chilled-out vibes. They are all slightly different, like the latter just being Florence with a guitar and her powerful vocals, but all have a similar feel and emotional impact to them. The same could honestly be said for ‘Molasses’ and ‘Cut and Run’. They’re both two more incredible songs, with the latter honestly being one of my favourite tracks on the album; its chorus and the harmonies are INCREDIBLE… *chefs kiss*. But all share pretty similar DNA, and I don’t want to keep repeating myself and gushing over it like a fangirl, it doesn’t make for very good reading! Still, you should check out all of these tracks immediately!
‘Love Me Then’ and ‘Boots in the rain’ take a bit more of the country route. They’re still chilled tracks, but definitely have more of a traditional country feel, kinda like Brandi again. The latter again is amazing, almost giving Dolly vibes with the old-school country nature of the song. Two more awesome original tracks to round things out perfectly!
On top of all of these already awesome tracks, we get a whopping four amazing bonus acoustic songs. From the beautiful, powerful ‘Whiskey in the Morning’ to the interesting, amazing Guns n’ Roses cover to the two great tracks tucked between them, they’re more excellent additions. They fit rather seamlessly into the rest of the album, too. Incredible given they are another change of pace. It really highlights how amazing Florence’s vocals are; her range being insanely impressive and the perfect mix of soft and powerful. I would highly recommend getting or checking out this version, as these tracks are more than worth it!
Overall: This is an incredible debut album! It’s an amazing release anyway, but for a first full-length release from Florence, it is something truly special. It’s chilled-out throughout, but so powerful and beautiful in equal measure, and every song is as good as the last! She’s entering a scene at its biggest in the UK currently, and will surely leave a big mark with this release. I can see huge things in her near future and already can’t wait to hear where she goes from here. However, for now, I cannot recommend this album enough to anyone even slightly into country, folk or Americana!
The Score: 9/10