aaamusic | On 13, Jan 2013

Classically trained cello player Nell Bryden has a sound more focused on American folk, blues, jazz and country. She’s a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter whose musical roots lie in her native New York.

Her single Shake The Tree is taken from the second album of the same name. It was recorded in the UK by Grammy winning producer Mark Taylor, well known for Cher’s Believe in 1998.

This is a well crafted story based on Mell’s personal experience. It was inspired by her father telling her that she was the sort of person who’d shake a tree rather than wait for the fruit to fall. Nell’s rich and soulful vocals are beautifully moody and edgy. As an intensely dramatic and rocky song, it’s reminiscent of the strength and depth found in Sam Brown or Annie Lennox.

★★★★★

Anthony Weightman.