ClocksMittens ****

Singer? Artist? Composer? Finding a description that suits Julie Feeney has become an increasingly difficult task. In the three years since her last release, the Galway woman’s unremitting ambition has seen her compose an opera and sell out a run of gigs in New York. Her third album carries her aspirations further still, blending theatrical chamber-pop with soft, classic songwriting akin to Carole King’s catalogue (Dear John).

Feeney's eccentrically pure voice is as an instrument in itself, its reed-like quality particularly prevalent on the delicacy of songs such as Cold Water, the graceful Galway Boy and the airy, sean-nós style musings of If I Lose You Tonight. It's Feeney's stately pomp and charged intimacy that sums up Clocks best: both warm and weird, but incontestably individual. juliefeeney.com

Download tracks:Julia, Galway Boy