Ane Brun - It all starts with one
- By Jon Bye -
- Apr 20, 2012
It a great time to be a woman musician…I’d imagine. A wave of female talent, from Adele to Florence and the Machine, has blazed a trail of international success seemingly limited only by the time they require to eat and sleep. At the same time, attitudes and shows such as The Voice are turning the tide on the image obsession that for so long has predetermined the level of success that some women musicians can achieve.
Not a bad time then for Ane Brun to release the deluxe edition of her album 'It All Starts With One'. Released initially in Scandinavia in 2011, Norweigan Brun has been racking up the air miles and putting in the effort in our little corner of Europe. The deluxe edition of the album now gives her the perfect launch platform ahead of the summer’s festival slog.
And there’s little better sound one can consider for a lazy afternoon sat in a field drinking overpriced cider; ‘Take it slow’ seems to instruct as much. Hard to definitively nail, Brun captures shades of country, gospel and folk and reinforces them with a unique powerful voice. From opener ‘These days’, the intimacy of her sometimes whispered and otherwise soaring tones grab the listener and demand your attention whether you will it or not.
Of course that type of intensity is not all pervading: ‘Queen and King’ provides a lighter touch of a bluegrass sing-song around the piano while ‘One’ has a touch of cabaret about it. The general tone is set by haunting ‘I would hurt a fly’ and moody, remorse-filled duet with Jose Gonzalez ‘Worship’ and indeed that is where the bulk of her appeal lies.
Varied styles and beautiful crafting on this album makes Brun a real contender to be the next artist to be crowned queen. There’s no better alternative for those who are either fans of a great voice or pine for the days when Florence and the Machine still played intimate gigs in dingy bars. The chance to experience that type of experience is on offer again. And one can’t help but feel thank given Brun’s talent and quality, there’s going to be a lot of people interested in her for that.
By Jon Bye. Tweets at @jonbyehome
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