CD Album Flotsam & Acoustic EP available for £8.99 inc worldwide delivery from www.myspace.com/juliecollings

or

www.juliecollings.co.uk

CD

REVIEWS

( 3 Stars * * * ) Robin Denselow THE GUARDIAN Julie Collings is a DIY celebrity in the making. She is a 25-year-old singer-songwriter from Derby who was not only responsible for all the "instruments, voices and noises" on this impressively laid-back and thoughtful new set, but also recorded and produced it herself in her spare room. Her singing is light, breathy and personal, and she backs herself on a variety of instruments, dominated by acoustic guitar and a gentle wash of electronica. There's not a vast range in her work - most of the tracks are sad-edged and slow - but she is a confident and distinctive song-writer, as shown by the personal and reflective The Last Post, the drifting electronica of Don't, the easy pop charm of Simple Things, or the more gently gutsy, guitar-backed title track. It's a remarkable effort, considering the technical problems she must have faced, and she will now hopefully move out of that spare room to find more varied backing for her songs. A dash of fiddle, accordion or cello could work wonders.

"Melancholy but never maudlin, it's spellbinding stuff. . "

Overplay.com "This is acoustic music at its most effective, with songs so exquisite they find a place inside your head to fit perfectly." Jo Overfield

BBC Radio 2 Janice Long " I think its lovely!"

BBC Radio Derby "Breathtaking!.......Lights up a room"

"One of Derby's best kept secrets - a dreamy singer-songwriter who's been penning tunes since her early teens. Everyone's rumbling on about James Morrison being discovered in Derby but there's no way he's the last word in talent from this city.... Beautiful melodies, crystal clear voice, fantastic harmonies - and a worldly wisdom far beyond her 25 years. Taking in influences including Shawn Colvin and Suzanne Vega, Julie has a dreamy, melancholic sound that's earnt her a loyal following and superb live reputation."

BBC Derby Review by Jo Overfield from Rambles Folk & Roots Magazine "I’ve been eagerly awaiting this woman’s debut album for some time now, just like you did when you were a kid waiting for the sweetshop man to get the new jar of cola cubes. Julie Collings is from Derby, she writes songs and plays the guitar. She works in a drum shop. She likes cinnamon flavoured chewing gum. BBC Radio 2’s Janice Long played her on her show recently. I saw Julie live last year and her songs were as crisp as they sound recorded, I was impressed. But can she make a good first album? The answer is yes and ‘good’ just isn’t enough of a description so I’ll continue. I’m really glad that Julie has decided to incorporate other sounds and instruments into her classic acoustic style. It makes for a very haunting, dreamlike quality. ‘All Else’ is the hello track, it’s electronica personified and works brilliantly with her voice, one of my favourites. ‘Side Eye’ is like a seesaw of sounds, it kicks off then vastly moves into a mellow place but I think this has a great hook, really reminds me of Juliana Hatfield. ‘Flotsam’ is taken from the demo and having seen this live, it’s a testament to Julie’s voice. It’s funny, listening to this album; it has a very otherworldly texture making Julie’s material seem timeless. ‘The Last Post’ is very poignant, awesome use of falsetto; it’s lovely if I can get away with using such a Grandma term. I was looking forward to the ‘Simple Things’ track, also from the demo, this has top radio potential and I could totally imagine a string quartet behind it in the bridge. This was the song that made me think that Julie can and will make it, plus it made me book her for an event I run. The album finishes with the ghostly ‘Follow You’, sounding gospel in parts and quite hypnotic. Altogether an experimental venture into the mind of Julie’s music, Flotsam is poetic, moving, soulful and all recorded in her spare room. While the rest of us keep boxes for Ebay in ours."

Peter Wyeth " Throughout the album there is always a feeling of being right in the middle of a moment and the arrangement of the songs always reflects this. But to talk about the strength of the songs, the voice and the production isn't enough to describe what I find so satisfying about this record. What Julie has done with Flotsam is to create a record with a real identity and style that is completely of its own and sounds like no one else before her yet remains as instant and as perfect as much of the other music created within the genre of Female Singer Songwriter (nope, I don't like descriptions like that either). With her first long player, I think Julie has made a record every bit as unique and strong as Imogen Heap, Laura Viers , Regina Spektor or any of the modern female solo artists promoted as pushing music forward. Im hoping this record will quietly usher Julie to the front of the crowd, because it really is that good."

Join the Julie Collings Mailing on the website

www.juliecollings.co.uk

CD Album 'Flotsam' Available to buy on the online shop right here-->

www.juliecollings.co.uk Reveal Records Derby, iTunes, HMV many other good retailers!

Live Review

from Girls Rock gig in London/ Blush Bar

First up was Julie Collings whose dreamy voice held the crowd in rapt attention from the first note to the last strum, the front row sitting on the floor in order to better appreciate the show. Her opening song Side Eye already sounds like a staple for any self-respecting girl's cd collection (her album Flotsam's out now) and the moody version of one of my personal favourites, Blue Moon, really made me smile. Not so much torch song as a smouldering trip up the river. Among the other skillfully penned offerings – one of which appears on the soundtrack of soon-to-be-released film Tomorrow Is Today – she threw in a surprisingly different take on the Police's Every Little Thing She Does is Magic. Her lightness of touch belies a depth of musical talent. She's supporting Horse on the Hebden Bridge leg of her UK tour, and despite this, the bums on floor and the acoustic guitar vibe, her performance was a far cry from a throwback to seventies folk stylings. She's got a contemporary edginess and is just very, very good.