Album review: Leddra Chapman – Telling Tales

Leddra Chapman is one of a new breed of young women producing a more thoughtful brand of acoustic folk/pop than can be currently found by the industry mannequins found in the charts.

The opening track, Story, makes a statement of intent, grabbing the listeners attention with a 5/4 time signature in the verse and brass band backing (with particularly good horn arrangements), bringing in more instrumentation that complements the mixture of whimsy and wistfulness in Leddra’s voice. This is followed by more familiar territory in A Little Easier, which wears the pop sensibility with pride. A driving rhythm, good string arrangements and using the falsetto break in her voice to good effect.

The tracks follow a steady flow that guide the listener through the various ‘tales’ that constitute the narrative of the album, from the pathos of Eddie, the acoustic fun of Summer and the meditative piano and voice combination on the final track, Wrap me Up. The other stand-out track for me was Jocelin, which blended Leddra’s own acoustic playing with some sensitive piano from producer Peter John Vettese and a set of wonderfully plaintive lyrics.

Well-crafted songs, a distinctive, pleasing voice and sensitive production combine to create a superb debut from Leddra.

Tagged as: album, New Folk