ARTIST: Lou Rhodes TITLE: Beloved One LABEL: Infinite Bloom Recordings GENRE: Trip-Hop BITRATE: 186kbps avg PLAYTIME: 0h 46min total RELEASE DATE: 2006-01-30 RIP DATE: 2006-01-07 Track List ---------- 01. Each Moment New 3:39 02. Tremble 2:54 03. Treat Her Gently 4:12 04. Fortress 4:11 05. No Re-run 3:19 06. Beloved One 5:43 07. Save Me 3:20 08. Inlakesh 3:58 09. To Survive 4:03 10. Why 10:50 Release Notes: Solid solo debut from former Lamb singer and songwriter! Fans of innovative Manchester, UK, duo Lamb, have long been captivated by Lou Rhodes’ slinky sensual voice set against the eclectic beats and electronic programming of that band’s on-board producer Andrew Barlow, but her solo debut album finds her moving in a much more acoustic, folksy direction. This new phase in Rhodes’ career began in 2004 when her relationship with the father of her children ended at the same time as her working relationship with Barlow. Rhodes and her children left Manchester and moved to the rural haven of Ridge Farm, Surrey, where she was able to begin re-structuring both her personal and creative lives. Recorded back in the first half of 2005, it has taken a while to become available via Rhodes own newly set-up indie label, Infinite Bloom, but fans of her voice will find it has been well worth the wait. In many ways it’s a curiously old-fangled album, one that could have been made thirty years ago, with a definite 70s singer-songwriter vibe about it and, in particular, hints of Melanie in her voice in both No Re-run and Save Me. The simplicity of the arrangements, and the quiet intensity of her voice, however, recalls the rather more modern stylings of Tracy Chapman. Treat Her Gently is the first completely satisfying track in the album, blending sombre cello and viola with delicately rippling acoustic guitar patterns, and she’s also given room to shine on Inlakesh, where the mesmeric drum patterns, sinuous bassline and understated guitar parts, form the perfect setting for her delicate vocal. Inlakesh, as it happens, is a Mayan word meaning ‘You are the other me’, and might provide some kind of clue to why the music on this album is such a radical departure from Rhodes’ earlier work with Lamb. Rhodes seems to be on a spiritual quest of some sort, with the opening track, Each Moment New, exhibiting a decidedly Zen world-view. At the other end of the album, the closing track, Why, finds her digging deep into her own confused psyche, attempting to understand why she can’t accept the love she is offered without question. In between she begs for salvation from her own hurtful inclinations in Save Me and agonises over the pain of separation in To Survive, so it’s not the kind of album you’d put on to get a party going. On the other hand, the elegant virtuosity of her band makes even her most miserable moments remarkably bearable, so this album would sound great on one of those evenings when you feel a bit down and might draw comfort from knowing that someone else has it worse than you. It’s worth noting that the album became available as a download only from December 5 2005 on iTunes, Napster, Real Networks, Music Net, Music Now, MSN music, Hear Music, Sony Connect and Snocap. It won’t hit the shops until January 30, 2006.