Boulding's debut album New Red Dress was a mixed bag, with her soulful vocals too often let down by the dull MOR trappings of the music. Nevertheless, the singer-songwriter touched enough nerves to be voted Cafe Nero Artist of the Month and the album went on to achieve respectable sales.
Boulding returns with a new single that plants her even further into Radio 2 territory. Perfect fodder indeed for the coffee shop multitudes, It's You spins away for nearly four minutes with little to engage the heart or soul.
Even Boulding's vocals have been mixed down and there is nothing here to make her stand out from other singers. This could be any one of a number of country or pop artists from either side of the pond, and the depressingly generic nature of Guy Farley's lyrics ("It's you keeping me strong/You've been there all along") provides further evidence of pandering to the masses.
I feel honour bound to mention that It's You has been chosen by the charity PDSA as their official song. So if you want to help sick animals, all proceeds from the download will go to the charity.
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