Singles

Amy Wadge - Hold Me

Dan Round 04/06/2010

Rating: 3.5/5

Amy Wadge is simply a great tunesmith. And a tunesmith of great simplicity, at that. “Hold Me” - a teaser from the forthcoming album of the Welsh/Bristolian singer-songwriter - begins primitively as a downbeat folksy lament, driven by the leisurely summer's day rhythm of basic acoustic strumming, quietly plodding bass and understated drums. The charming simplicity of the instrumentation is tied well with Wadge's pastoral vocal, a vocal that possesses the duality of sounding both fractured and on the cusp of wavering through broken emotion, yet also strong, composed and completely empowered at the forefront of the song. From the humble beginnings of the tranquil verse emerges a grand statement of hummable melody as the chorus ascends. Distinct and catchy enough to be a refrain in a chart ballad, Wadge proves here that she can do both sentimental folk and pop balladeering equally emotively.

“Hold Me” can also be found sang in Welsh by the versatile new mum, with “Dal Fi” recorded specially for the Welsh Nursery Schools Movement and available exclusively as a download. If anything, the song sounds even more effective and elegiac in the Celtic language. Wadge's sweet and soulful sound, earnest in delivery yet really full of joy, is characterised well in this serene ode to a lover. Definitely worth a listen or 10 if you're a fan of the similarly slow-paced folk/pop songs of Wadge's former touring partner, Damien Rice.

Out Now.