Lotte Kestner - Bluebird of Happiness

There's a moment, a few short seconds into the first listen to, it seems, any release Anna-Lynne Williams is involved in, in which a comfortable sense of peace and calm descends. Yes, that voice, that voice is still intact. If anything, it is improving as time goes by. No, I didn't think it was possible either. More than this though, Bluebird of Happiness finds Lotte Kestner confidently hitting her stride, consistently knocking song after song out of the park, equal parts direct and fragile, stretching the bounds of her sound and showcasing a bravery in the mix which marks the album out as surely one of the best singer-songwriter releases of 2013.

China Mountain and Stolen, the albums to precede this one, have both spent considerable amounts of time being kind to my ears, and Bluebird of Happiness is a welcome addition to that wonderful canon of work. I know I often say this when writing about an album, but really, to pick out individual songs for praise or comment is to miss the point somewhat. This collection of 12 songs, which includes an interesting cover of Halo, works best when listened to in one sitting, as a whole piece of work. That way the journey through Wrestler, via Turn the Wolves' deliciously eery minor progression, via When It's Time and Sweetheart, all the way to closers Cliff and Little Things can take its fullest effect. It's all very well having a great voice, but you can't live on that alone, and each of the songs listed here bring something. Williams has always been a strong writer, with a great ear for a melody and a poetic lyric, but this is her strongest, most cohesive collection of songs to date. The atmosphere which is established with opener String is largely maintained throughout the album, as Anna-Lynne transports the listener in to songs of lost and broken love, sorrow, as well as physical and emotional suffering. I really don't think there's anyone who is putting out better music of this type than Lotte Kestner at this point, nor has there been for quite some time. The ability she has to wear her heart on her sleeve whilst simultaneously remaining cryptic and artistic in her exploration of the good and bad of life marks her out as one of the 21st century's great artists. If only more people would sit up and pay attention....