Fish Records - RIES RACHEL

Full Review

Rachel Ries – For You Only

‘For You Only’ is an extraordinary album – simply recorded and arranged it focuses mainly on Rachel’s voice and guitar and leads the listener down a varied and adventurous musical and lyrical path.

The songs are contemporary pieces loosely related to music of the 20s &30s in a similar way to the work of Erin McKeown, but that’s where comparisons and categorisation end as Ries’ songs are individual and distinct from almost every other contemporary singer/songwriter.

She has a versatile and flexible voice that delivers the stunning melodies with both delicacy and confidence – the contrast of her youthful voice and modern songs with the traditional instrumentation and musical styles adds real depth to the album.

Her lyrics, like the melodies, lead the listener into unexpected territory, creating pictures of personal relationships and thoughts in vivid detail and from unusual perspectives.

There are many highlight here with songs covering a good range of styles, but the pick of the disc are ‘Lonely Spires’, ‘You Only’ and ‘Unkind’, all three are excellent and while all 13 tracks are all based around Rachel’s guitar work, depth and colour is provided by banjo, fiddle, organ and accordion.

‘For You Only’ is both musically and lyrically sophisticated and one of the most distinct and intelligent discs we carry. A beautiful album and very highly recommended.

RIES RACHEL - FOR YOU ONLY

Ries Rachel