Carly Bryant

Ce nom ne vous dit peut être pas grand-chose, mais croyez-moi, elle gagne à être connue ! Je l’ai découverte l’an dernier lors du concert de la très belle Nadeah à La Maroquinerie. Ce soir-là, une jeune femme aux cheveux très très très longs apparaissait sur scène, faisant la première partie de la jolie blonde un peu fofolle. Elle s’est installée derrière son piano et a commencé à jouer… Une voix chaude, des textes profonds et une maitrise du piano et de la guitare incontestable, c’est le coup de foudre.
Carly est née dans les années 80, à Brighton. Sa mère lui a appris le piano et la guitare, et elle s’est entrainé encore et encore… Puis, c’est parti : quelques concerts avec sa sœur et son groupe, lancement de sa carrière solo, premier EP, 100 copies faites sur l’ordinateur d’un de ses amis, toutes vendues en moins d’une semaine, 4 albums studio, 2 singles sur Itunes, de plus en plus de concerts, dont les premières parties d’Ani di Franco, Ben Taylor ou encore Joan as Policewoman, petite Carly deviendra grande !
Et son dernier album est clairement un énorme coup de cœur… Four And Twenty Blackbirds est un album magique… Des ballades, des sonorités folk, du piano, toujours, de la guitare pop, des chansons tubesques, je dois bien avouer que je l’écoute en boucle ! - Like.com

Carly Bryant has enjoyed a fair bit of success this year, bouncing around from place to place doing an impressive number of things. From her stint opening for Ani DiFranco on her tour to being chosen for iTunes Essentials Album with her song Bonfire City; a track from her previous album Sing A Song of Sixpence, Bryant has been gathering acclaim and has confirmed a tour of Brazil, joining forces with international superstar Nadeah.

On top of this, her new album, Four and Twenty Blackbirds has just been released. A bluesy yet upbeat, loungey sounding record, Bryant describes its sound as sitting somewhere between Paul McCartney and Fiona Apple.

Carly's chameleon voice flicks easily from husky tones into higher pitched notes, singing songs whose lyrics all tell charming little stories, such as Satellites, which is about a woman who lives in a tiny village who just gets internet access for the first time: "She's going dancing from satellite to satellite/With young rich beautiful, wild free single astronauts, neurologists, philosophers and artists," and Hang Me Off A Cliff: "I'll guess your name thrice/And choose a frog to kiss/My big eyes are all the better to see you with," of which I'm not entirely sure of the meaning, but with its jaunty bassline and pretty guitar melodies, it doesn't matter.

Carly really showcases her talents with this fourth album. From songwriting, to piano playing to singing and playing the guitar, the piano heavy melodies, pitch perfect harmonies and brass instruments featured in Four And Twenty Blackbirds make for some really lovely, laid back tracks, which are definitely worth a listen too.

The Lexington in Angel, N1 is a quirky little place, with regal-themed sofas and variously sized antlers adorning the walls. So it seems a fitting place for a gig supporting the launch night of Carly Bryant's fourth studio album, Four And Twenty Blackbirds, on 10 August 2012.

The opening act were four-piece rock band The Shoestrung, who happily tell everyone that they're excited to play this gig because it means they can play country and acoustic, which their manager doesn't usually let them do. This is a shame, because the songs are really lovely, pleasing harmonies and melody lines tied together with quirky basslines. The bouncy four piece set the tone for the evening and I am optimistic for what is coming next, despite not being able to afford a drink.

Carly played with a full band, including a double bass, which was a nice touch. The opening song was H.E.L.P, the first track on the album; a jaunty track which will doubtless be stuck in my head for at least another week. The atmosphere was great because as well as hitting all the notes with complete ease and playing a technically very good set, Carly keep everyone entertained, making jokes in between songs and telling everyone the back stories to the lyrics.

At the end of the show the support band were invited back on stage to sing the harmonies on the closer, which was fun as it was clear to see that they were all mates just having a great time. It was reminiscent of a really polished jam session that we were all invited to watch. I left the Lexington in a really good mood, having thoroughly enjoyed myself.



Buy Carly's new album on iTunes, or click here - DIVA Magazine