I received an email from Christene when she had just started as a professional singer/songwriter, she had recorded a few songs and the one I heard was excellent – I made a mental note to remember the name and to look out for her in the future. That was about four years ago and earlier this year she contacted me again, this time to pass on her beautifully packaged and presented debut album.
She has a clear and expressive voice that demands you listen to the story she’s telling, in many ways she is similar in sound and delivery style to Dar Williams, and her vocals suit the acoustic based arrangements perfectly.
Christene is a wonderful writer and the lyrics are excellent throughout, but the strongest tracks on the album are stunningly good, ‘Sweet Patty’ is a poignant tale of a mother leaving her daughter in an orphanage, it’s a great piece of songwriting, but when you realise the story relates to her own mother and grandmother the whole piece becomes sharper. This ‘real-life’ approach to her writing continues across the whole disc, ‘The Entertainer’ tells the story of a homeless lady and her journey to the street, and ‘Bus to the Ocean’ tells of a chance meeting with widow taking her husband’s ashes to be scattered in the sea – throughout the disc it’s obvious that many songs are inspired by real experiences, and that gives the album a unique and intimate feel.
While it may not be the most upbeat singer/songwriter disc around, the atmosphere is tempered by the strong melodies and excellent arrangements; this gives the disc a balanced feel and makes it accessible from the first listen.
The instrumentation is subtle and detailed with various guitars, bass and percussion alongside the less obvious dulcimer and bowed bass; it gives the disc variety while still obviously remaining a traditional singer/songwriter album.
‘Little Lighthouse’ may be Christene’s debut, but it’s the work of a mature and focused artist, and it contains some of the strongest writing you could wish to hear. Fans of Dar Williams, Patty Griffin et al will find much to enjoy here, as it’s an acoustic singer/songwriter disc of real quality and depth. Highly recommended.

£13.49