Young heart

"This collection comes after a gap of five years, during which she spent time in India and California, and presumably did a hell of a lot of growing up in the interim. California most audibly colours these heartache-addled songs, which Birdy freely admits are influenced by the Laurel Canyon sound of the 1970s and, most notably, Joni Mitchell's Blue album".

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"As someone who rose to fame at the tender age of 12, Birdy said she needed to take the half-decade gap between this record and its predecessor to do some growing up. Now 23, 'Young Heart' finds her returning on the other side of one of life's bleaker rites of passage, older, wiser and creatively thriving. It could do with an edit in places (its 16-song tracklist loses momentum on the likes of 'River Song' and `Little Blue'), but for the most part it's a record of great beauty; one to cling to when you're going through it and revel in when you too have made it to the other side".

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"Young Heart [er] bestemt ikke er et dårligt album. Det er ret langtrukkent og endda kedeligt et par steder, men i sin helhed formår Birdy (...) at nytænke sin position som musiker, hvor der heldigvis er masser af originalitet at hente ... Det har været en lang kunstnerisk proces for Birdy at kreere Young Heart. Fire år faktisk. Det kan man godt høre, for der er lagt sjæl, hjertesorger og inderlighed i mange af numrene (...) Bagsiden af medaljen er, at det simpelthen bare bliver en lettere langtrukken lytteroplevelse. Der er en del sange, jeg godt kunne have været foruden, hvor jeg stadig ville kunne forstå, at Birdy har været igennem et heartbreak og er ved at blive voksen".

"Despite running a little long at 16 tracks, there's a wealth of emotion and gorgeous production at every turn, resulting in fresh moments of wonder popping up when least expected. From the sweeping "Surrender" and "River Song" to the gospel-tinged epic hymnal of the title track, Birdy outdoes herself with Young Heart, a pensive journey that offers some solace and a shoulder to cry on".

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