Jo Beth Young - Broken Spells (Wise 
Queen/Speegra)
Release Date: Out Now
Enchantress and song-weaver Jo Beth Young has just released her new album into the world and 'Broken Spells' will take you on a journey, that's for sure. The album opens with 'Wolf Song' which slithers and shimmies into life with Young's mesmerising voice calling us to listen before a chilled, trip-hop beat joins in to add something more urban to the otherwise fairy-infused magic. 'Standstill' follows on with a similarly dark spirit and the rattling, skittering beats add a certain menace to proceedings before 'Ochham's Razor' takes a leaf out of Quentin Tarantino's book with a Western inspired guitar melody and the kind of vocals that sing out from a serene corner of a saloon bar.
Young's vocal soars and swoops throughout all of these tracks, like a bright red ribbon binding the whole thing together beautifully. Take 'Burning', for example, a lurching yet gentle song that feels unsure of it's own identity but that voice effortlessly assembles the assorted parts until a song emerges from the mists and it is beautiful. 'Brigid' is closer to a traditional pop song but still manages to weave folk elements in to the melody while 'Lazuli' has a semi-religious vibe as those vocals waft out from the darkness like a beacon of hope. On 'Adversity', Young's cinematic qualities come to the fore with the kind of song that you could imagine hearing as a heroine picks herself up for the end game fight.
The journey takes another unexpected turn on 'Mechanical Ballerina' down a boulevard full of the broken neon hearts of 80s pop balladeers in a convertible VW Golf. Penultimate track 'Kinder Sea' has an impish quality to it but not an entirely well-meaning imp before the album closes off with 'Night Voyage', a dramatic and somewhat heartbroken lullaby to send you out in to the night with. This album represents some serious artistic growth and evolution for Jo Beth Young but also the kind of album that will have people getting excited about the possibilities this Devon based artist has in her future.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/jobethyoung