Strike The Colours - The Face That Sunk A Thousand Ships

Sometimes a voice hits you with such a blow it leaves every nerve-end tingling to its sweet melodic beauty. In songstress Jenny Reeve, Strike The Colours undoubtedly has that quality. Her breathy, translucent whisper floats over The Face That Sunk A Thousand Ships with the charm of an elegiac butterfly. Laced in rolling country guitars and slinking piano waltzes, tracks like Bare Legs In A Storm or Safety In Numbers are tender sultry affairs that emit a gorgeous heart-melting glow. But, really, every moment of this six-track mini-album is a captivating saunter into a world of soul-pondering organic songwriting; with We Dreamed Of Stars' brittle viola weaving a web of melancholy so deep you'll struggle to unravel from its all-embracing introversion. The Face That Sunk... may prove to be one of the saddest records of the year, but with a voice like Reeve's it's impossible not to be knocked out by it. [Billy Hamilton]