aaamusic | On 25, Apr 2012

Rome, 18th April 2012

Evelyn Burke. Remember this name because you will hear from her in next months.

She is a Dublin-born, 21-year-old singer songwriter who plays cello and has recently graduated from Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts with a 1st Class Honours Degree in Music. In addition to being selected for a co-writing session with Sir Paul McCartney, Evelyn Burke won the Songlink “Best Composition Award” for her song “Walk Alone”. She’s been writing songs since she was fifteen, but if you think that she’s just a talented songwriter you’re wrong.

Evelyn can sing with such a grace and energy at the same time that you will wipe involuntary tears from your eyes during her show.

I watched her performing live for the first time inRome, at Borgo della Marchesa, a tiny and shabby-chic venue, when she played a very intimate gig showcasing seven songs unplugged. There was just Evelyn singing and playing the piano accompanied by Bruno, a scruffy (as he described himself) and charming guitarist who was a perfect vocal partner for choirs.

The set included all the songs you can listen to here:

http://soundcloud.com/evelynburke 

But you should definitely catch her live, because the unplugged atmosphere gave me the chance to concentrate my mind on her vocals and melodies, which are very catchy, but at the same time let shine through a sort of naivety due to her young age.

For instance she told that the song “Alcohol” was written while she was drunk, and it makes me feel a kind of tenderness, because she told about the troubles of love, but anyway I could see such a determination in her eyes and more than through lyrics, she transmitted all the tinges of her emotions with the voice. Evelyn has got amazing communicative skills and they can be the fundamental factors to be successful and maybe to fight against Adele.

“Walk alone” is one of her best tunes, dedicated to her best friend, it’s made of an infectious melody that will be loved by people especially for the “oooh ooh”. But other beautiful tunes are “Frozen Heart” and “Give me the light”, the first one has a kind of Nordic atmosphere, not only for its lyrics, but that’s a sort of coldness in her voice too, like she wanted to reflect the state of her heart in her voice.

“Give me the light” is like en epic song running at a fast pace, but the power is all in her soaring vocals once again.

The set was too short for the audience that wanted more songs, so I hope she will be able to release her first album soon and I’m quite sure that the single will be noticed by the BBC.

Visit www.evelynburke.com and stay tuned.

Watch below few minutes from her great performance:

 

Author: Roberta Capuano
Photos: Andrea Carrozzini