Jo Bywater
Timeless

Plucking and strumming her way through some substantial acoustic songs, Jo Bywater’s latest release is heavy with a sense of musical importance, the likes of which might surround a much bigger artist.

It’s a combination of Tanita Tikarum, Tori Amos and the darker moments of Alanis Morrisette and, on the whole, it works very well. You do have to ride some of the more self-absorbed moments but you have to for many singer/songwriters that bare their tortured souls.

The record has an MTV unplugged feel to it. It sounds special, like a moment has been captured. There’s a rawness and honesty that many full-band studio recordings fail to deliver.

All three tracks are really good and Jo uses the guitar in different ways to carve a uniqueness out of each one – that’s what makes this such an interesting record.

Written by Smith on 2nd November 2007

Stuart 'Saur' Smith was a prolific writer for The Mag throughout the magazine's lifetime. He combined a day job of temporary office jobs in London with a nightlife of trawling the capital's music venues looking for talent. As well as writing about music, he was a session musician who featured on a number of singles in the 90s. Today, Stuart is a Chief Writer for Phonotonal.

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