The Same Side [UK]

Three years is a long time to wait between albums for a singer/songwriter, especially when you're coming off the back of a very successful debut in 2004 and wait until 2007 for the follow-up, but that's exactly what Lucie Silvas did with her second album, The Same Side. People quickly forget, or others come along to fill the void, and that is what appeared to have happened to her. Her debut album, Breathe In, just missed the Top Ten, but where were those buyers when The Same Side came along? If anything, The Same Side is a progression from the sound of Breathe In; it has a fuller, richer feel with strings and orchestration rather than relying on a simple piano melody line. The trouble is the songs themselves, which don't stand out as being anything special. Silvas has written them with feeling, from experience, but there's nothing that grabs the average listener. The tracks "Place to Hide," "Right Here," and "Counting," however, revert to minimalist piano tinkling and showcase her voice better than the full orchestral tracks. The album hit the charts at number 62 and remained there for just one week. She did save the best til last, as the final track, "Stolen," was another of her simpler songs with an occasional piano chord backing quite a beautiful song. ~ Sharon Mawer