Natasha England: “Somehow” – meltingly sublime!
After leaving Scotland for London when she was 17, Natasha England created an impressive track record in the music business. She was involved in the management of both David Bowie and Rod Stewart, and later set up her own label, Towerbell, discovering and managing acts such as, Darts, Chas & Dave, and Snowy White, while still playing live with her band at the likes of The Marquee. As a promoter with Good Earth Agency she arranged European and UK tours for James Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Average White Band and The Commodores among others. Her success behind the scenes almost tempted her to stay there, but Natasha’s looks, voice and songwriting talent has inevitably moved her towards the spotlight.
Natasha England soon released the single “Iko Iko” (produced by Tom Newman of “Tubular Bells” fame) which secured her to Top Of The Pops appearances and a number 10 spot. She followed this with another hit single, “The Boom Boom Room” and the charting album, “Captured”. Through the nineties, she kept working and writing with top names in the industry, which also included a move to Canada due to contractual problems in the UK. A planned comeback in early 2000’s had to be postponed when Natasha was diagnosed with breast cancer. In 2010, to rave reviews, she released her first new album ”Deeper Into Reality” in collaboration with Emmy nominated producer Robert Logan.
In 2017 after her mother died, Natasha was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time. She declined both Chemo and Radiotherapy in favor of a more natural and less debilitating treatment. And in 2018 made her return to the music scene with the release of her 2-track single, and 13 track album “Somehow”.
This album is a bit different in approach and tone, compared to her earlier works. It makes sense. This is Natasha’s most mature recording. It is as accessible and instantly memorable as her previous stuff, but even more cohesive as a whole. It’s one of those records that has its own world that you can close your eyes and disappear into as the songs flow through you, one by one.
On the album, Natasha affronts all of love and life’s affecting moments and emotions, using her personal experiences as a template. Despite the hardships, she ultimately tends to maintain a positive attitude. The content and lyrics show how much she’s grown as a person and a musician over the years.
Natasha is unstoppable and she’s got vocals like almost no other artist currently in modern music. Sitting somewhere between the poetic melancholy of Marianne Faithfull and the supreme majesty of Grace Slick, Natasha England’s voice resonates with the soul almost instantly.
She’s just as impactfull and impressive whether she’s backed by a just piano and sax on the slow-burning “One More Chance”, as she is on the fully layered and orchestrated title track, “Somehow”. Heartfelt and raw, or vulnerable and hopeful, Natasha doesn’t occupy space on a track, she dominates it with passion and consummate skill.
The sheer effortless simplicity of her vocal deliveries is what makes them so beautiful. Listen to her stunning work on “Such A Shame” And “Work It Out” – so much emotion, so few frills, hits straight to the heart. I particularly love Natasha’s voice in a more bare-boned arrangement, and nowhere is she more meltingly sublime than on “Sighs” – a track that is both infectious and moving.
Natasha can also turn up the beat, dynamics and volume, when she wants to, and does so comfortably on the changing rhythms of “Bad Breaks And Heartaches” and “Hook Line And Sinker”.
The fact that she is an amazing artist with an obnoxious amount of talent, is again evident on the soulfully beautiful “Brightest Light”, the thumping electronics of “2 Of A Kind”, and the jazzy inflections of “I’ll Never Let You Down”. Three tracks distinctly different in style and execution, yet with the same remarkably awe-inspiring results.
Natasha England takes the unique authenticity of her lyrics and combines it with the enrapturing variety of her sound, to make the magical “Somehow”, a seriously great record that’s both accessible but exclusive enough to stand out amongst the crowd of other artists out there right now.
She’s unfailingly honest, and I think it’s impossible to not relate to her music; she puts a lot of thought and care into her music, and it shows. The album captures who Natasha England is as an artist, perfectly.
