Beth Rowley is one of those singers that seems to have crept in from nowhere, and now you can't switch on the radio without hearing her. The Bristol-based songwriter has paid her dues though, working as a backing vocalist before self-releasing her own EPs about four years ago.
It's easy to see how she's suddenly become popular. As 2008 is unofficially the year of pleasant if undemanding songstresses, then Rowley fits right in. Her voice is stunning, reminiscent of Fiona Apple at her best and Sweet Hours shows it off to its best. It's a classy, jazzy ballad designed to slot straight into daytime radio playlists.
Polished and professional, it seems almost churlish to say that it's possibly not too exciting. Yet it performs its job perfectly well, and only a person without eardrums could deny the quality of Rowley's vocals.
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