Probably Me by Polly Barrett | review
Irish singer-songwriter Polly Barrett releases her second album Probably Me on September 22, a collection of ten songs with shades of Bruce Springsteen, Kate Rusby, Eddie Vedder, Glen Hansard and Planxty. There is much to admire in this, her sophomore effort, not least of which is her beautiful and fragile voice, the tracks ‘Who Knows’ and ‘Annachie Gordon’ in particular invite the listener to get lost in the world she creates. Yet Barrett tries to squeeze in so many references that Probably Me is very much an album without an identity. The tone jumps from Americana to folk to country to traditional ballads and back again. The opening track, ‘The Greater Good’, just does not work as a kick-start to the album but ‘Who Knows’, a tinkling and sweet folk song (that could really work as a pop song in the right hands) follows it up and thankfully displays her jaunty guitar playing. This serves as the backbone for each track, her voice weaving its way around the simple yet strong guitar melody she creates but it does grow tiring as otherwise the album is sparsely populated with other instruments. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it does create the impression that Probably Me is a simple and unsophisticated album and while her songs are certainly well composed, lyrically they often lack the depth that her voice deserves.
I would love to say that I loved this album but I can’t. While the genres jump around from song to song, the songs themselves stay very much the same; there’s no build up, no progression through the music and quite often you end up at the very same place you started – not because the song came full circle but because it just did not go anywhere. What is very evident though is her talent and her potential. She really has something special in her mellow, sweet voice. But so does Kate Rusby, Cara Dillon, Luan Parle and a host of other great female folk and ballad singers. Polly Barrett needs to identify that “something else” that can make her stand out from the crowd and there are avenues worth pursuing on this album. There are special moments on Probably Me; the strongest tracks are the ones where Barrett invests herself in telling stories. ‘Andrew’, ‘The Way We Use to Be’ and ‘P Stands for Paddy I Suppose’ are well-constructed songs and they highlight the powerful storytelling element of her voice and talent. Unfortunately the best example of this is not one of her own songs but a cover of the old Scottish ballad ‘Annachie Gordon’ instead. Barrett’s voice adds a beautiful depth to the very simple arrangement and her haunting version and can proudly stand along side Sinead O’Connor and Mary Black’s more famous versions.
While Probably Me is not a perfect album, it boasts songs that will certainly take on a new life when played live, songs that highlight the power of her beautiful voice. ‘Andrew’, ‘Annachie Gordon’ and ‘Who Knows’ are the essential songs on the album and if mellow, folky music is your thing then you could do worse than give Probably Me a spin, or better yet, find one of her live shows and sit in as she is truly at her best in front of a live audience.
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