If there’s a particular criticism to be leveled at Rosie Thomas’ previous albums, it’s that the sense of melancholy which pervades them can sometimes wear thin. Favoring languid tempos and singing in a delicate voice filled with folkie yearning, Thomas has, in the past, offered up sober introspection with unyielding earnestness.
By no means does Thomas dispense entirely with that approach on If Songs Could Be Held, but the album does find her loosening up in ways that serve her songs well. On “Pretty Dress”, for instance, she juices a sprightly orchestrated arrangement with pounding drums and a soaring pop chorus evocative of Aimee Mann. Likewise, the easygoing, faint country glow in her voice on “Loose Ends” brings to mind a kinder, gentler Shelby Lynne.
Elsewhere, Thomas proves a masterful writer — and singer — of torch songs. The bare-bones ballad “It Don’t Matter To The Sun” finds her pining for a lost love in a voice rich with gospel inflections. Similarly, on the gently orchestrated “Guess It May”, she reflects upon an unfolding romance in a way that’s deeply personal, but not insular or overly intense.
In fact, the weaker songs on the album tend to be those on which Thomas reverts to more conventional folk-pop. Cases in point include the Joni Mitchell-like “Clear As A Bell” and a cover of “Let It Be Me” (a duet with Ed Harcourt), both of which sound pedestrian alongside the more adventurous fare. For the most part, however, If Songs Could Be Held finds Thomas shedding the one-trick-pony tag, with impressive results.
