nataliemccool.co.uk
Out on Fortress Records

Reviewed by Rob Harrison

This is a really good record, need I say more well perhaps I will just for Natalie’s sake. Natalie is a great songwriter and received applause for this in the press and the radio and with sessions on the BBC she has carved out a well deserved niche for herself .

There is a fashionable Electro feel to the album and the songwriting reminds me of the confessional writings of Regina spektor perhaps, and a bit of PJ Harvey thrown in for good measure. In a live context Natalie plays the guitar so it would be interesting to see how this translates itself in a live setting. The Electro feel as I said before Seems to be a fashionable thing to do at the moment and there also there seems to be a concentration on the snappy pop song. You are left to ponder on the bombastic nature of the songs, the only thing I can draw from this is it is like a calling card album, in the sense that Natalie is seeking to be picked up by as potential singer songwriter which is great but there seems little in light and shade which makes up that beast called an album.

In a similar situation to skinny lister who I review later where you just get stompers to please the festival crowd but that’s really talking away from the fact that it’s a brilliant album full of really good songs so there you go nine and a half out of ten for Natalie.