Lucy Rose - Like I Used To Album Review

Lucy Rose's past endeavours include working extensively with Bombay Bicycle Club and developing her own brand of tea; two things that really could have been jobs for life. Bombay are doing really well at the moment having supported Blur for their Hyde Park Olympics Closing Ceremony show and having also played some massive festival slots this summer. As for the tea, well, it's all sold out now unfortunately but she could always open up a café in her rural Warwickshire village and call it something along the lines of 'Lucy's Rosy Lee.'

But, the 23-year-old has chosen to finally release her debut after twelve months of releasing various tracks like 'Middle of the Bed', 'Red Face' and 'Scar.' Of course, she can still enjoy a cuppa and sing backing vocals for Jack Steadman and Co., but her debut 'Like I Used To' shows how hiding amongst Bombay for the last few years as well as working on her own writing has made her a very capable artist.

Her tender voice is different from other female artists who have made themselves known this year. Ben Howard and Benjamin Francis Leftwich have made this acoustic pop/folk favourable lately and this male dominance has made way for Lucy Rose. She sounds incredibly fragile for the majority of the record, especially in the aptly named 'Shiver', though some tracks such as 'First' and 'Night Bus' lack their own memorable stamp and the musical elements sound too similar. Elsewhere, 'Bikes' and 'Middle of the Bed' seem to conjure a bit more confidence for a more exaggerated chorus. These choruses bring some much needed force to the album.

'Like I Used To' is much quieter and less 'groovy' than the likes of Bombay's recent hits 'Shuffle' and 'How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep', though its timid folk/acoustic echoes do show allegiance to their 2010 album 'Flaws' on which Lucy Rose helped out. Keeping on the folk theme, the whole record holds some irresistible sounds that accompany the beauty of Lucy Rose's presence wonderfully. The fact you can hear every strum, slide and tapping beat means a natural atmosphere is created.

'Lines' is an album favourite; fusing together a flourishing chorus, 'tell me if you love someone', with an awaking beat where it slows at points to allow the nervous riff to take priority. A melodic debut from Lucy Rose, though it could be a bit more lively in parts to strike a happy balance between old and new Bombay Bicycle cub.

Hayley Fox