SARAH COLOSO - The Sky Below CD-EP

Brand new 5 track EP and the first thing you notice is the quality – the production of this offering is absolutely magnificent. Recorded at Seagate studio in Dundee – as are so many of the local bands these days – even for them, this is superb. The CD opens with “Lose Control”, an unusually bluesy number for Ms Coloso where she gets free reign to unleash one of her most bluesy vocals to date, the combination of a rich, strong voice singing in a slightly lower register than normal, her determination and effort, plus an arrangement that opens with crisp cymbals and throbbing funk bass, dramatic drums, then a sea of string synth as the rhythms tumble along before crisply chiming guitar adds extra depth. Then the vocal appears and the only accompaniment is the bass, before she heads into the hook as the whole band return once more and ride onwards, a deliciously full and crisp sound overall, the song veering between the cascading blues verses and the soaring chorus. Further in, the band get a chance to shine, as the rhythms underpin a hot lead guitar break followed by wah-wah bass before it's back into the chorus. Solid and memorable in a stage-show kind of way. After this, there follows “Frustration”, the first song that really turned me onto Ms Coloso, a stunning set of lyrics inspired by someone from her past that really shows the subject matter first hand. Re-recorded with the band, this is now an even more powerful version, the drums swinging along as the upfront bass takes a lead role as the combination of crisp acoustic and electric guitars are more textural than lead, while the real richness of the Coloso vocal really comes into its own, as she spits the lyrics out with more than a certain amount of venom, yet sings them absolutely superbly. As a combination of observational brilliance in the writing, an addictive swing to the arrangements and that so emotive vocal and a song that's great every time you hear it, this remains a biting and wonderful song. “Mockingbird” is a ballad, just with gentle piano, almost imperceptible percussion and Coloso's vocals in full range from delicate to forceful as another gem of a song unfolds, almost Tori Amos-esque, with a richer tone to the harmonic range she sings. At one point a drum enters very briefly as the vocal flies upwards, only for it to drop back down to a world-weary and emotively sung end. “Dancing Shoes” flies along in a blaze of tango-rhythms as the song is unleashed with strength and passion, a driving arrangement featuring another superb performance from the upfront bass as the crisp guitars provide the backdrop and the drums propel things along. Once again, she reveals a wide-ranging vocal on a stirring song about dancing that really is the most commercial song she's written to date and something that is solid, instantly loveable and yet bears repeat plays for a long time to come. The EP ends with “Porcelain”, a real epic of a track as nearly 9 minutes of slow-mid-paced anthem unfolds, the rhythm section solid and crunchy, the sea of string synths covering the song with a depth that's truly expansive, while the guitars once again provide the distant texture and ringing top range. Sarah's vocal on this track is simply stunning – absolutely magical, she flows, glides, floats, soars and takes off on a song that's the sort of thing which would be the centrepiece of a leading London Theatre musical stage-show production. It so draws you in to its charms, so spellbinding in its delivery, arrangement, dynamics, strength and vocal tour-de-force, at no point are you anything less than enthralled and enraptured by what is, for any singer let alone an unsigned Dundee songwriter, a 100% successful example of how great songwriting, singing and playing is all about. Taken as a whole, this EP is totally faultless, truly wondrous, sung, written and played with passion and emotion, songs that are from the heart, from one of the most talented artists on the Scottish unsigned scene – magnificent!!

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