HERE comes another of the over-hyped great new musical hopes. Singer-songwriter Polly Paulusma has a first in English from Cambridge, which perhaps explains her liking for lyrics that tip towards the clever-clever in their oblique poetry.
Yet mostly the problems lie not with Polly, but with an industry that ratchets up the expectations for each new arrival, instead of letting them settle in quietly. As she showed during her support slot for Jamie Cullum at the York Barbican, Polly is a charming performer, with a tendency towards the fey - yet she also writes some lovely modern folk songs, with passing hints of Joni Mitchell.
The opener Dark Side is enchanting, as too are She Moves In Secret Ways, Over The Hill and Mea Culpa, which pulls off the difficult trick of making a Latin phrase sound catchy. Occasional changes of mood, such as the rockier Perfect 4/4, plus the introduction of strings and horns on various songs, fill out her spare yet warm acoustic sound. An interesting, highly individual debut.
Updated: 08:36 Thursday, April 01, 2004
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