Angels and Cigarettes, Eliza Carthy

Being new to Eliza's music, I didn't know what to expect when I was handed Angels and Cigarettes and told to review it [as part of GCSE Music Coursework (ed.))]. I was pleasantly surprised. The catchy and meaningful ten track album kicks off to a jump start with Whispers of Summer, which has your feet tapping and head dancing before the first minute. There is a lot of meaning in every lyric of every song. Train Song is written using the imagery of a Night Visiting Song, lots of heartache and waiting. Perfect, a cheerful foot tapper of a a track, simply tells the listener nothing but the truth, "If you don't speak then no-one will ever hear you!"

A particular favourite of mine is the very personal, In the Company of Men, in which Eliza declares, "beautiful people are boring," and quite right too except for one small thing - Eliza's inner beauty shines through this album and, hopefully, into our lives.