Ally Cribb is a Toronto, Canada-based singer songwriter with a presence and maturity to her music that belies her limited years in the world. Channelling influences that include Joni Mitchell, Ella Fitzgerald, Kacey Musgraves and Taylor Swift, she has just released her debut EP. A story of thriving against the odds, it’s called Unbroken.

By Graeme Smith

The EP opens with Bigger, a vibrant, life-affirming pop anthem. It’s a great start, instantly grabbing your attention and leaving you in no doubt what you’re going to get from this EP. Bigger was Ally’s first original single and it makes sense that she used it to introduce her sound and song-writing to the world. It’s an anthem.

Ally put together Unbroken in the wake of the unexpected loss of her mother and there’s certainly a sense of catharsis that runs through it. Bigger leads into California, a more intimate and reflective affair that retains some of the soaring pop energy. Leave It Behind follows, an atmospheric and ambient piece of emotive storytelling.

The EP’s centrepiece is End of August. It unexpectedly folds some folk and jazz into the mix but its engine is pop ballad. Ally’s vocals are particularly expressive here and it proves to be a highlight.

Rounding off the EP are the melancholic and heart-breaking jazz ballad Love Still Lives Inside, the image rich and piano-led Halifax Time and finally Thirty Minutes. The latter feels like Ally at her most vulnerable and the attention to detail in its lyrics means it will stay with you long after the last key is struck.

Unbroken is a collection of tracks from an artist who is young but clearly knows what she’s doing, and has found her voice. It’s not surprising when you learn that Ally’s been writing songs since the age of twelve, and unflinchingly puts so much of herself into her music. If you’re looking for accomplished and soul-enriching pop music today, look no further than this EP. You can listen to the whole of Unbroken below.