Heavily played by Bob Harris on BBC Radio 2 over the past few months, this debut disc from 24 year old Rosie Thomas is now more generally available, and while there are undoubtedly some great radio tracks here, this album is consistently excellent, and the whole is certainly more than the sum of its parts.
She has a gentle and attractive vocal style, incredibly smooth and easy across both simple and complex vocal melodies, and while it is Rosie's vocals that provide most of the melodic themes, there is some brilliantly understated musical backing. Almost all the songs are built on simple acoustic guitar and piano themes, and there is lots of cello (especially on the exceptional 'Lorraine'), and the rhythmic structure is provided by some good use of percussion and bass.
The songs concentrate of family life and character studies, and are full of vivid imagery and strong prose, there are many songs here that are intimate and haunting without ever becoming pretentious or self-indulgent - something that's only ever carried off by the very best contemporary singer/songwriters.
Any of the 10 tracks could have been picked out, but two of the real highlights are the fantastic 'Wedding Day', a song of lost love, but with an upbeat ending, and the wonderfully disarming opener '2 Dollar Shoes'.
While all the signs point to the familiar - young, female singer/songwriter, with a strong voice and a predominantly acoustic backing - 'When We Were Small' is a distinct, individual and contemporary collection with a huge amount to offer the listener on many levels. One of the best folkish, acoustic singer/songwriter discs around. 

£13.49