SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: CORDELIA STEPHENS – THE PROTEST SONGS

CORDELIA STEPHENS
THE PROTEST SONGS
INDEPENDENT

Cordelia Stephens grew up in England and in the early 2000s moved to New York City, a place she now calls home. She then wrote and recorded two full-length albums. She has just released a new EP, five new songs that are both personal and political.

She has a sparse accompaniment which works perfectly for her music. She is not a folk artist in the purest sense of the word, as there are elements of rock. In some ways she has the same vibe as Suzanne Vega or Natalie Merchant, which is fine. But to be clear, she has her own style and music, and she is not copying any other artist.

Much like Vega’s “Luka”, these heavy topics are set against very catchy and pleasant music. Very sparsely arranged and well-produced, the EP flows nicely from beginning to end. It is short, only five songs, and one can only hope that there is an album on the way. Stephens has a very nice, comfortable writing and performing style. She is very clear with her thoughts and gets her point across but in a very engaging and melodic manner.

There is a lot to digest with the album and a few spins on the turntable are necessary to really appreciate all that she is singing and doing. It would be interesting to see what Stephens could do outside of her comfort zone and maybe incorporate other sounds and styles, but this is a small aside, as the EP is great the way it is. Stephens is a very talented artist. This EP might break her out of the New York City folk scene to a much broader audience.

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