Rosie’s previous two albums were simple, quiet and introspective collections full of sweet melodies and delicate songs, and to a certain extent this theme continues on ‘If Songs Could Be Held’ but there’s a new depth and confidence to the sound with a wider range of instrumentation and a more dynamic feel to the tracks.
Her acoustic guitar is backed by subtle strings, subdued Wurlitzer, piano and strong percussion which gives the whole album a fuller sound with more texture than the previous discs.
Her vocals have always been exceptional, and she's in fine voice here; beautifully sweet and unforced with a fluidity that delivers the melodies with an effortless natural feeling that separates her from the female singer/songwriter crowd.
The first five tracks form a laid back sequence of songs full of strong lyrics and dreamy atmosphere, and this is broken by a duet with Ed Harcourt on the classic ‘Let it Be Me’, the contrast in his vocals is striking and an effective way to break the spell cast over the initial 20 minutes and renew the listener's interest for the remainder of the disc.
Highlights include the catchy and immediate standout ‘Pretty Dress’, but the best tracks are the songs that reveal their strengths over repeated listens, ‘Say What You Want’ is an excellent piece of songwriting with a great narrative, and the closer ‘Tomorrow’ is a delicate string backed song of devotion that ends the collection of 11 tracks.
Intimate, graceful vocals and tasteful restrained backing mean ‘If Songs Could Be Held’ isn’t one of the obvious standout discs of the year, but this is album with much to offer and well worthy of investigation and repeated plays.

£13.49