Formerly one-quarter of classical crossover girl group
All Angels, 21-year-old Royal College of Music Student
Laura Wright eschews the operatic standards and contemporary pop hits of her previous outfit in favor of the traditional folk songs of yesteryear for her solo debut album,
The Last Rose. Inspired by the classic ballads that were introduced to her by her grandmother, it's a change in direction which appears to have re-instilled some of the passion and emotion that was largely absent from her old band's third effort, Fly Away, as she attempts to revive 12 compositions which have been a cornerstone of British culture for hundreds of years. Assisting her in the challenge is an impressive behind-the-scenes team who all contributed to the recent, official Royal Wedding album, including producer
Anna Barry and arrangers
John Rutter,
Patrick Hawes, and
Paul Mealor, whose new version of "Ubi Caratas," which was performed at the ceremony, appears here as a solo piece under the title of the Tennyson poem it originated from, "Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal." Free from the bluster and pomp of their previous collaboration, their subtle, string-soaked arrangements performed by
the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ensure the focus is on the pretty melodies and
Wright's soaring, angelic vocals, which effortlessly glide through pieces composed from all four corners of the British Isles, from England's "Lavender's Blue," to Scotland's "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean," to Wales' "The Ash Grove," to Ireland's "I Know Where I'm Going," alongside musical adaptations of poems by
Yeats ("Down to the Smalley Gardens"), Ben Jonson ("Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes"), and Thomas Moore ("The Last Rose of Summer"). A subtle spin on the classical crossover formula,
The Last Rose is an enchanting debut which deserves to achieve its revivalist intentions. ~ Jon O'Brien