Laura Heard – Burnt

At a time when an abundance of female singer songwriters are bothering the charts – Lily Allen and Sandi Thom, anyone? – it would be very easy to pigeonhole Laura Heard as just another one of the crowd based on the fact that she’s female, she sings and, you’ve guessed it, she writes songs. However, while her five-track EP ‘Burnt’ does contain elements of the industry’s finest female sirens, Heard is able to blend these influences to useful effect and exhibit her own character in the process. The songs switch between the attitude-ridden pop rock of ‘Baby You’re Out’ and ‘Sleeping Beauty’ with their infectious choruses, and the melodic simplicity of ‘Lullaby’ – which as you might expect, is a gentler offering of acoustic guitar over a drifting, string-laden backdrop. Heard’s vocal style is diverse, one moment she effortlessly reaches the high notes, while the next she sounds a lot like mum’s favourite Dido with her distinctive breathy style – particularly on the serene ‘Lullaby’ where her voice really comes into its own. Standout tune ‘Burnt’ could be taken straight from the soundtrack for a tear jerking Rom Com – a beautiful lesson in song writing combining soft piano, acoustic guitar and vocals that cannot fail but evoke Alanis Morissette. If this EP is anything to go by, then there is definitely a place for Laura Heard in the pop world’s sorority. – Sebastian Cheek