Unsigned artist Danielle Cawdell, Silence Set Me Free - album review
Life is full of coincidences, and the fact this album is available for us to hear at all almost falls into that category.
If Cradley Heath-based Danielle Cawdell hadn't have picked up a certain magazine, flicked to a certain page and read a certain advert for a songwriting group, she might not be here.
The 37-year-old speech therapist found her mojo under the watchful eye of Wolverhampton lad Dan Whitehouse, and her path has led to today's release of this debut.
The long hours put in after her shifts with the NHS are testament to her character and desire to create a record. So perhaps it is unsurprising that such feeling and touching vocals are plentiful throughout.
“The album is an uncensored story, capturing moments and experiences, there is nothing that is held back or not shared,” Danielle said of it.
And in pained choruses like that of Hush you can feel those moments lived. One of her more guitar-led songs on the LP, it packs a lot of punch in the soft style propelling the track from start to finish.
Future Gazing, on the other hand, chooses hopefulness as its core message and Danielle's keys help her hush-hush voice soar. It may be on the quieter side of the vocal range, but it is no less powerful. You don't have to shout to be heard, and this song is a perfect example of that.
We recently criticised the piano ballad approach of Calum Scott on his debut record for lacking inspiration and hooks, but Danielle safely negotiates most of these pitfalls by making her raw, live sound carry a sincere feel.
Affection does this well. It almost feels like you are in the room with her, that hurt piano medley haunting every breath.
She launches the record tonight at Birmingham's Kitchen Garden Café. The intimate venue should suit this style perfectly.
Rating: 7/10
Tickets for tonight's launch show can be bought here
