Album Review: Emma Louise - Lilac Everything; A Project By Emma Louise

Musicians are of course constantly experimenting with new sounds and styles, but it's rare for one to divert so much so that you think there has been some terrible mistake and the album you've just purchased, is not the artist on the cover.

The change in pitch on Lilac Everything is so extreme that Emma Louise is unrecognisable from her past works; as we hear a far more androgynous vocal style rather than the feminine, higher pitch we're familiar with.

Her 2011 track 1000 Sundowns ignited tears around the nation when it was chosen as the sound behind a much-loved characters death in Offspring, so it's no surprise that we're in for more tearjerkers here. Louise still has those fruitful and haunting songwriting skills, which come out profusely in Lilac Everything. A Book Left Open In A Wild Field Of Flowers, is perhaps the most mesmerising, both lyrically and melodically. Falling Apart is also a highlight, for its beautiful, broody mix of pop and blues.

Once you get over the initial confusion of such a drastic change, you're in for one emotionally immersive ride. And immersed you will be, as the hypnotic Louise sings her poignant, universally-felt tales; making it a brave, gripping and influential release.