Lucy Grubb – 18 Miles EP Review

It’s always a delight to introduce new artists and new music at Belles and Gals, so I was delighted when I heard the new E.P. from Lucy Grubb. It’s called ’18 Miles’ and it is released today.

The E.P. is four tracks long and opens up with the title track. It’s evident from the very start that Lucy has an originality and a slight quirkiness to her music. ’18 Miles’ is an upbeat track about a/the journey she and others are embarking on. Lyrically it’s fun and slightly obtuse, which is always a good thing – a great start to the E.P!

‘Country Channel’ is a short, sharp two-minute number about a guy the singer is missing. Lyrics such as “I’ll keep your jacket, I’ve hung it up for you, I’ll Switch the country channel on, When I’m feeling blue’ give you an idea of the theme. The song is an upbeat one despite the subject matter and has an appealing real life feel to it. The song might be short, but good things sometimes come in small packages.

‘Cowboy’ is a song about an instant attraction to the title character of the song – “I seem to remember looking up at you, felt like there was nothing we couldn’t do”. In a similar way to the last track, Lucy has a way of singing sad songs (yep, the relationship doesn’t last) in an almost buoyant, positive manner, which sets her music apart in some ways. The song name-checks Johnny Cash and mentions Nashville, Tennessee, while my favourite line of the song hints at whiskey (Jack Daniels?) too without naming it.

The final song, “Change in the Weather’ slows the pace a little and is another track which touches on the end of a relationship. This is a gorgeous track which perhaps doesn’t have the quirkiness of the rest of the E.P, but it does show that Lucy Grubb has the ability to cover all bases, which will stand her well in her career. Check out a live recording of the song below.

Listening to Lucy, you really get the feeling that this is an artist who is doing it her way – it’s country, with a touch of folk, without ever feeling the need to conform 100% to either. There is also a freshness about her sound which will make the artist stand out. ‘18 Miles’ is a fine debut from a young UK singer songwriter and I cannot wait to hear more.

To find out more about Lucy, hit her Twitter and Facebook – where you’ll find full details of Lucy’s E.P. launch gig this very evening!