Strike The Colours - Seven Roads

To strike the colours at sea is to accept defeat, to surrender, to give up. As far as nom de guerre’s go, Reindeer Section alum Jenny Reeve has picked one laden with dramatic possibilities and inherent poeticism. Seven Roads builds on the successes of debut The Face That Sunk A Thousand Ships with ten enchanting narratives of love, loss and plenty more besides. On Cold Hands, Craig B (formerly of Aereogramme) provides an earthy counterpoint to Reeve's crystal cadence, but otherwise it’s her soulful delivery and cutting directness that shine brightest: the final syllable of the line “If I don’t belong to anybody, let my legs walk to the edge of the cliff” could stop you in your tracks. The only criticism to be made is perhaps of a lack of variety – tracks work individually but altogether it’s tough to comfortably digest. Nonetheless, Reeve once again proves herself a refined vocalist and composer who sounds anything but resigned.