Soledad Vélez -‘Run With Wolves’ (Absolute Beginners)

Hailing from Valencia, Soledad Vélez’s debut album, Wild Fishing, suggested that here was most definitely not just another singer-songwriter. (Thank God for that.) She drew on folk and blues, and produced a record that suggested her spiritual heirs were more like Cat Power or PJ Harvey.

That debut was strong, and suggested she had considerable promise. On the follow-up, the comparisons with the aforementioned singer-songwriters are applicable- but most definitely as a compliment. (Think Moon Pix and To Bring You My Love.) Personal, without being whiney or self-indulgent. There’s still a fair amount of darkness here – but without losing anything of what made that album quite a startling listen. It’s perhaps an easier album to get to grips with, and one which suggests that she is developing as a songwriter and performer.

Album opener ‘On Fire’ and ‘South Mountain’ may be the best places to start, but this is an impressive sophomore album, and I look forward to seeing which direction she heads on her third album.

****

Run With Wolves is out now on Absolute Beginners.

Soledad Vélez -‘Wild Fishing’ (Absolute Beginners)

‘Yes, she is a woman singing folk, but let’s not let that make us narrow minded.’ Thus begins the press release accompanying the debut album from Valencia’s Soledad Vélez. To approach this album in a narrow-minded way would be a mistake. Yes, she’s a bit folky, a bit bluesy, but the voice and the songs are more consistent with the likes of Cat Power or PJ Harvey.

So there are no ‘Hey Nonny nonnys’ and no painfully earnest/confessional outpourings. Instead, as the summer draws to and end, what we get instead is a reflective, mature album that makes for one very coherent whole. Standout tracks include album openers ‘Black Light In The Forest’ and ‘Hug Me’ and ‘Birds.’ I’ve been playing this album quite a bit over the past few weeks, and with autumn seemingly here, it suits the mood better than in summer.

And I mean that as a compliment. Accessible, without being bland; creative, without being impenetrable, this is a debut which suggests an artist with promise. I look forward to seeing what she does next…

***1/2

Wild Fishing is out now on Absolute Beginners. Stream it below: