With the kind of full on emotive bloodletting rarely seen outside of a Kate Bush album, the new Spellling record The Turning Wheel probably won't be for everyone. Chrystia Cabral truly pulls out all the stops in songs that sound either in turn or else at once like West End showstoppers and melodious and emotional pop songs from the leftfield.
It's a record that sounds more powerful with every play and I suspect a keeper, which will feature somewhere in my end of year chart. Where exactly, I'm still not entirely sure. Cabral's full on approach can sometimes grate a touch but the songs here are sturdy and adventurous constructions which allow her to take full flight without need for a safety net.
The record truly begins to come into its own towards the end of its run when the songs really start to take risks, match the ambitions of their author and steer fully away from the Radio 2 territory they flirt with early on. Particularly in the case of the albums heart, the seven minute tour de force Boys at School where Cabral truly shows what she can do.
So, something of a mixed bag perhaps, but certainly worthy of play or two to see if it piques your interest. It certainly had some moments that hit just the right notes for me so I'm more than willing to give those that didn't impact on me to the same degree a get out of jail card.
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