Reviews

Review of Dark To Light by RoomThirteen.com - August 2008 (11/13)

"Whatever you’re expecting, put it to one side. There are a million and one female singer-songwriters out there, and most of them are lovely. But then there are some that are trying to break out of that mould, or were never in it. That’s where Clara Kousah comes in. The album art, in fact, everything about the packaging suggests that this is just another bit of acoustic caterwauling. But put ‘High Stakes’ on, and it’s a half-decent rock song. It’s a song you could imagine doing really well live. Check the credits out, and the reason behind this curious rock-out is clear: the album’s produced by Russ Russell, most famous for working with Napalm Death and The Wildhearts.

Of course, there’ll be acoustic moments. ‘It Takes Time’ is nice enough, and the cutely observed ‘Orange Cat’ has rings of Cat Stevens-esque songwriting in its strange subject matter. It’s a close-run thing: the lyrics and musicianship are excellent, but it’s the overall superb production and general putting-together of the album that lifts it above the average. Kousah also demonstrates a superb range, from the whimsical, to the rocky, to the slightly darker territory of ‘Holy Angels’. There are some fantastic moments where the pulse races at the bassy, throbbing intro of ‘My Last Breath’, and you hope upon hope that it’s going to turn into an out-and-out rocker. Which, sadly, isn’t quite the case, but it’s still excellent.

Kousah’s voice is phenomenal, with a subtle power behind it. More importantly, it doesn’t have any off the affectations that a lot of singer-songwriters pick up from trying to copy their idols. The influences are there; in the hints of Joni Mitchell in ‘Underground’ to moments that would make Tori Amos proud.

For all of this, ‘Dark To Light’ is still a debut album, and sounds very much so. It’s testing the ground, and very often staying in the middle of the road with tracks like ‘Underground’. They’re good tracks, but nothing outstanding. If she evolved the rockier sound she might have something truly unique. Right now, it’s crossing a lot of ground, maybe too much, semi-appealing to the acoustic singer-songwriter buying public, and also going for the rock audience. But you get the feeling that this is an artist who will never stand still. And long may that last."

Review of Dark To Light by Subba-Cultcha.com - August 2008 (3.5/5)

"Having toured supporting the likes of former Zero 7 vocalist Tina Dico and Bluetones front man Mark Morriss, Clara Kousah was an artist I expected to be a little breezy and light, but this is a record of depths, with a real flavour of melancholy that, whilst surprising, really works with Kousah’s soft vocals, at once this is both sad and strangely comforting. The songs here are stripped back, the spaces as important as the music that rushes to fill them. It’s definitely strange to flick through the booklet and find something this subtle and, dare I say, cosy, was produced by Russ Russell, a man well known for his work with Napalm Death! There’s a long line of female singer/songwriters in the UK, never hugely famous but always respected by their peers, names from Linda Thompson to Thea Gilmore, Rosalie Deighton and the excellent Polly Paulusma. Clara Kousah deserves to stand alongside them, her velvet vocals and strong song writing fitting in perfectly in such esteemed company."

Review in The Sunday Mercury - Aug/Sep 2008

"IT is the most unlikely musical marriage you’ll celebrate this year – festival folk-pop favourite Clara Kousah and producer Russ Russell, best known for masterminding albums by brutal Brummie heavy metallers Napalm Death. But the result is a consummate album that subtly showcases Kousah’s writing skills in songs such as the Joni Mitchell-like It Takes Time, pop-tinged Orange Cat and High Stakes, which sets out stall somewhere between the pitches occupied by Imogen Heap and KT Tunstall. See her live at Birmingham’s Kitchen Garden Cafe on October 5."

Quotes

"...The first thing the listener notices is her voice, a big but nonetheless soft and slightly spacey instrument that alternately suggests she’s Julianne Regan’s long lost sister or Dar Williams cousin. Fortunately she avoids the feyness of the one and the breathy seriousness of the other by undercutting her vocals with a bit of steel and plenty of heart...." -- Americana-UK '08

"Fantastic! Beautiful!" -- 209Radio.co.uk '08

"AT LAST, a slightly different sounding British female singer-songwriter." -- Morning Star Online '08

Interviews

Local Heroes Inteview - Cambridge Evening News - May 2008

How long have you been playing?
I've been playing guitar and writing songs since I was 13. But I couldn't sing for a long time - it took a few pointers from a great friend and wonderful singer, plus a lot of time practising (to avoid studying for my Physics degree) to find my voice.

How would you describe your music?
The songs always seem to write themselves and sometimes they come out rocky, sometimes classic folk, whereas others have hints of jazz, punk, pop - all sorts really. In terms of the guts of my writing, I'm big on strong melodies and no-holds-barred emotional release. For me, music is the way to put what I feel into some kind of perspective - whether that includes anger, sadness, confusion or even joy.

What is your best song and what is it about?
My favourite song changes all the time, usually according to what I have just written most recently. But I guess Delirium has to be up there - it is one of the most complex guitar pieces I have ever written for a start. My lyrics are always very personal but often hidden around metaphors and references to things that are relevant or significant in my life at the time. In this case the writings of Neil Gaiman were big in my mind - in the Sandman series there are a group of characters called the Endless, and two of these in particular are Dream and Delirium.

Which album would be your desert island disc?
I think I would need to take something that could reflect as many emotional states as possible, in order to have the right tune for every occasion that might occur on such an island. The first thing that comes to mind is something by Fleetwood Mac... a large compilation would do nicely. Stevie Nicks' writing never ceases to fascinate and move me, and her voice is positively gut-wrenching.

Who or what are your biggest influences?
Main musical influences for me have been classics like the Beatles and Dylan, plus oddities like Steeleye Span and Francis Cabrel (an amazing French songwriter). I'm also a big fan of Paula Cole, James, Nirvana, Iron Maiden.. well the list would go on for a long time but they have all genuinely affected the way in which I am inspired to create my own music.

What's been your best gig so far?
It's a tie between an old one and a new one. First is the Strawberry Fair in 2001 - I was still very young in terms of being a live performer and the acoustic tent was packed out with just hundreds of people. Then last year I was lucky enough to be asked to support Tina Dico at the Junction. Tina was a joy to meet and it was a new venue for me to perform at - when I played that gig I remember slipping almost into another state of mind entirely, it was an intensely personal gig for me.

And your worst?
Ah, that would have to be a night at The Champion on the Thames many years ago when I discovered comprehensively that there is a limit to how much I can drink before I sing.

Which instrument would you add to your sound if you could?
Keyboards are the big thing for me right now. I love the way good keyboardists can make a song transform into something completely new and wonderful with just the subtlest additions.

What would you do first if you were put in charge of the record industry?
I think the main change I would like to make would be to properly support bands in the sounds that they have and want to achieve, rather than trying to mould them into a businessman's idea of what is lucrative.

Mp3s or vinyl?
As a kid I was always slightly scared of the scratching noise you would get when the needle first hit a record. But I'm not big on mp3s, I like to have a physical copy of the records I love, that I can hold and read and move around with.