Rebecca Jones – Out of Water

Have you ever seen that performance Bill Bailey does of a song called "Love Song"? If you're anything like me, if and when you hear the opening track of this album, "Magic Roads", it'll be the first thing you think of. I'm beginning to think that "Magic Roads" is either exactly the sort of song Bailey was implicitly mocking with his song, or an incredibly subtle post-modern parody-of-a-parody. Maybe it's the mention of infections, maybe it's something in Jones' slightly odd tone as she delivers her vocals, but the two are now inextricably linked in my mind. Odd though it is, I do quite like it though. Slowly building upon subtle acoustic guitar with percussive shuffles and tambourines, it's something of a stream-of-consciousness song, but unfortunately is arguably the closest this album gets to greatness.Rebecca Jones is a Newcastle-based singer and multi-instrumentalist, joined on Out of Water by a host of fellow musicians. Mostly the album consists of inoffensive acoustic guitar-based, folky singer-songwriter fare. There are a few surprises here and there - on "Of You, Somewhere" Jones launches into an extended section sung in French, joined by background horns. French is to return, too, as on "Ne Me Quitte Pas" which is a very lo-fi recording towards the tail end of the album."Fields & Mountains" features atmospheric whistling that brings to mind classic western soundtracks alongside the unsurprising gently-strummed guitar. It's something of an brooding, pessimistic song about chances "to be someone before you're dead", and, seemingly, a desire to commune with nature rather than embrace the complexities and failings of the civilized world.Ultimately, Out of Water rarely stretches any further than being mildly interesting. There are too few elements to differentiate the songs from one another, and arguably too many songs - fifteen is a big number over which to try to maintain any kind of quality. That said, with "Magic Roads" and a few other highlights on offer, Out of Water may be worth a look for die-hard fans of lo-fi acoustic curiosities. 52%