It has been a whole decade since Birdy first burst onto the music scene with her immensely popular cover of Bon Iver’s ‘Skinny Love’. Since then, she has developed into a clever, sensitive lyricist, with her latest album ‘Young Heart‘ beautifully showcasing her evolution, not just as a musician, but as a human.
Birdy has a voice reminiscent of 70s vocalists like Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez, and a sound filled with strong Nashville influences which suits the Hampshire-born musician to a tee. ‘Young Heart’ is a journey through heartbreak and breakups – a rite of passage everyone goes through as you transition from being a teenager to a fully-fledged adult.
Opening with the intriguing instrumental ‘Witching Hour’, ‘Young Heart’ is predominantly a piano and guitar-led album, giving Birdy’s stunning vocals and lyrics all the space they need to shine. ‘Voyager’ takes the listener straight to Laurel Canyon with slide guitar and a chugging train of a drumbeat accompanying lyrics that tell of a restless spirit:
“I won’t wait for you, I’m already gone,
Like moonlight leaves with the dawn,
I won’t wait for you, I’m already gone,
I’m a voyager and I voyage on”.
‘Voyager’ beautifully encapsulates the bittersweet feeling of leaving the ones you love in order to embark on the next stage of your journey. ‘Nobody Knows Me Like You Do’, led by Birdy’s trademark piano, takes us to the centre of the heartbreak, the moment you realise it’s really not going to work and feel that pang of regret. Maybe you could have tried harder, and maybe you won’t be able to find anything as good as what you once had.
Like most breakups, this album is heartache and sorrow bookended by hope, and the last couple of songs do pick up the mood and promise that everything will get better again. ‘New Moon’ is the first step towards healing – occasionally slipping back into old habits and thought patterns, but promising yourself that you’re going to change. Ending with defiance, the title track ‘Young Heart’ illustrates that the breakup has been accepted, and steps are being taken towards a new life:
“Have to say goodbye for now,
It doesn’t mean that I don’t love you any more,
I’m still a young heart, there’s so much I don’t know,
And I’m changing”.
‘Young Heart’ is a beautiful album. Whilst listening to it, you get the impression that Birdy didn’t want to make this album, she needed to make this album. It is mature and full of wisdom, featuring true, heartfelt emotion. Birdy’s creative and personal growth has resulted in her best album yet, and there is clearly a lot more to come from this incredibly talented young woman.
