Album Of The Month - March 2016
Kelly Oliver - 'Bedlam'
Kelly Oliver is a singer songwriter based in Hertfordshire. Mainly influenced by acoustic and contemporary folk music her favourite artists include Bob Dylan, Alison Krauss, Steve Earle and Alanis Morissette.
Debut album 'This Land' was released in October 2014 by Folkstock Records. With folk intrinsically at its core the critically acclaimed album demonstrated the versatility of Kelly's voice, musicianship and song writing.
Highly anticipated second album 'Bedlam' was released on 6th March 2016. The collection of ten original songs includes the expected contemporary folk-tinged tales but some explore new musical avenues of indie and pop.
Kelly had this to say about her new album:
“In the writing and making of 'Bedlam', I think a lot of my musical influences have been exposed. I've spent the past two and a half years listening to, watching and learning from all kinds of folk musicians, and I have tried to bring these influences into my music. I have used alternate tunings on almost every song and focused a lot on writing the guitar accompaniment as well as the lyrics and melody, and the different tunings have naturally brought a different sound to the album as a whole. 'Bedlam' is an exploration of social and political subject matter mixed with personal experiences and observations, and I challenge myself to make my lyrics informative and factual, whilst also hopefully being interesting and exciting to the listener.”
Stunning and unique vocals are central to the appeal of the music on offer on 'Bedlam' but Kelly's gift for melody also contributes to making each song memorable. Ally this with thought provoking lyrics, great musicianship and production and you have a compelling and winning package.
The release of 'Bedlam' marks a major leap forward for Kelly Oliver as a recording artist and one that should deservedly open up a much wider audience. Without doubt an early contender for best album of 2016!
Debut album 'This Land' was released in October 2014 by Folkstock Records. With folk intrinsically at its core the critically acclaimed album demonstrated the versatility of Kelly's voice, musicianship and song writing.
Highly anticipated second album 'Bedlam' was released on 6th March 2016. The collection of ten original songs includes the expected contemporary folk-tinged tales but some explore new musical avenues of indie and pop.
Kelly had this to say about her new album:
“In the writing and making of 'Bedlam', I think a lot of my musical influences have been exposed. I've spent the past two and a half years listening to, watching and learning from all kinds of folk musicians, and I have tried to bring these influences into my music. I have used alternate tunings on almost every song and focused a lot on writing the guitar accompaniment as well as the lyrics and melody, and the different tunings have naturally brought a different sound to the album as a whole. 'Bedlam' is an exploration of social and political subject matter mixed with personal experiences and observations, and I challenge myself to make my lyrics informative and factual, whilst also hopefully being interesting and exciting to the listener.”
Stunning and unique vocals are central to the appeal of the music on offer on 'Bedlam' but Kelly's gift for melody also contributes to making each song memorable. Ally this with thought provoking lyrics, great musicianship and production and you have a compelling and winning package.
The release of 'Bedlam' marks a major leap forward for Kelly Oliver as a recording artist and one that should deservedly open up a much wider audience. Without doubt an early contender for best album of 2016!