I first discovered Edinburgh-based jazz and pop singer songwriter Bridget Kelly Quinn for the blog around this time last year, and she’s never been far from my attention since. In August I shared her single Please Stay, which also happens to be the opening song on her new album Dead Flowers.
By Graeme Smith
Feature photo by Becca Starr
Dead Flowers is a collection of stories from Bridget’s life, sung by Bridget and backed by multi-instrumentalist David Lennon. Production comes from Becca Starr and the trio are making beautiful music together. Thematically, the album is about love, particularly self-love when times are tough and, as such, it has a light and welcoming feel, right from the off.
Please Stay is as bright and captivating as a remember it being, setting a beautiful early tone for what’s to come. It’s followed by I Am Me, a reflective meditation that encourages us to accept who we are, flaws and all. One of David’s biggest influences is Twin Peaks composer Angelo Badalamenti and that influences comes through strongly in its moody composition.
Walking is a piece of stripped-back jazz with a wonderful sense of movement. Bridget’s lyrics are simple but powerful, with a rich sense of imagery. Seasons Change is pensively piano-led before My House Is Your House rounds off the first half of the album with its warm and charming interlude.
Don’t Wait Too Long is a vaudevillian wonder that sets a deeper, darker tone for the album’s second half. It looks necessarily inward and finds drama there. Start Talking continues the theme, but offers a way out through a powerful acoustic blues arrangement before the vibrant Something I’m Not finds some peace in self-acceptance.
The album is then wrapped up with Cross The Road and the title track Dead Flowers. The former is a powerhouse of storytelling and observation while the latter finishes things brightly through its upbeat acoustic jazz arrangement and smile-inducing lyrics.
Dead Flowers is an album that rewards the careful listener. Bridget and team eschew bells and whistles to create a collection that is inviting, relatable and, most importantly, has something to say. The world definitely needs more voices like Bridget’s. You can listen to the whole album below.