I don’t know what major label A&R executive needs to read it, but if I were you I`d be on my way to Newcastle, lockdown be damned. Even if police fine you for travelling long distances, it will still be worth it.
Sarah Connolly is another jaw dropping talent on my radar that should be of interest to every music scout in the country if they knew how to do their jobs. Inspired by Lucy Rose and Norah Jones, Sarah debuted with acclaimed single ‘Black and Blue’ in 2019 and since then has been carving her niche on the circuit.
First thing about Sarah that hits you as soon as she starts singing is her unique voice. Absolutely remarkable. Nobody sounds like Sarah Connolly except for Sarah Connolly. She is in a league with Adele, Amy Winehouse or Duffy in this regard. Second – if you can imagine this from a paragraph of text – a twenty something with the sensibility and maturity of a pop diva of the times gone by.
Put together the mystery of Hope Sandoval, the lyrical side of Patsy Cline and boldness of Cilia Black and you may be close to what constitutes the musical heritage of Sarah. It is awfully hard to squeeze artists like this into one musical box. It is pop – but you got to think pop as popular music of the 60s. Nico or Nancy Sinatra, but playing guitar. It is indie – Sarah is a rock band leader, pretty much like Lisa Loeb would lead The Nine Stories or Sheryl Crow was the front woman of Tuesday Music Club. And the music she brings is an exciting mix of rock, pop, country, jazz and blues.
‘Wishing Bone’ is a love song but without clinginess or cheesiness. In her story telling Sarah is poetic and mature beyond her years, matching lyrics with melodies that are both proudly ambitious and radio friendly. Remember the ideal chemistry in Taylor Swift`s cover of ‘Breathless’ by Better Than Ezra? The ideal ratio of incredible vocals, a melodic line that could make you weep and the mastery of the words? In my mind Sarah Connolly got very close to the perfection of ‘Breathless’ in ‘Wishing Bone’. She shares a lot in common with Kevin Griffiths – one of the best lyricists and song writers that the college rock scene ever produced, so you can only imagine what we can expect from Sarah Connolly in the years to come.
Then there is the feeling that ‘Wishing Bone’ evokes in the listener: melancholy, sadness, an atmosphere of some sort of danger or mystery. For the lack of better description – put on ‘Song in the Key of X’, switch off the lights and listen to ‘On the Outside’. Or ‘Falling’ from The Twin Peaks soundtrack. You will know it. It`s almost like a very intense cinematic experience or like encountering the supernatural. You can’t name it but it is there. This song has an eerie, spooky core dressed in a sweetness of a love story. It’s a strange mixture but my god, the potential and the promise it brings. I cannot wait to see where Sarah Connolly will be in ten years’ time. Hopefully on top of the charts.
Otherwise, A&Rs in this country will deserve a proper kick in the back side for screwing it up.
You can follow Sarah Connolly on the following socials: