Broken Flowers - Amaryllis

Self-released



Broken Flowers is a Leeds-based ‘country’ band led by Anna Mosley (lead vocals, guitar) with Darren Gibbs (lead guitar), Sean Hudson (drums) and Mike Brown (bass). I’ve known of Anna for what seems like ages, going back to the mid-1990s and a band called Freek, followed by the Infidels. That was more than a dozen years ago and shortly after that band split, Anna got married and took an hiatus from music. I hadn’t heard from her for years, then out-of-the-blue came this mini-album. Showcasing Anna’s masterful vocals and remarkable range, these six tracks perfectly display her innate and proficient abilities for singing and songwriting with an alluringly fresh spin. It’s country, very modern country, but at no time do Anna and the band try to sound American. They have created their own distinctive sound and style that revolves around Anna’s powerful voice and her equally powerful songwriting…In fact, she has a wonderful way with narrative songs, narratives in which not a lot happens but a great deal is learned…

Opener, These Are The Things, had me hooked from the off. It has ‘American country hit’ written all over it. The production is right on target, letting Anna’s angst-ridden vocal take the lead and filling the remainder of the aural landscape with a solid, punchy rhythm section and a vibrantly jangly lead guitar. In contrast, Leaving Rain is more of a sparse, bare-boned lament to failing love that is insightful, inspired and heartfelt. Stay Away From Me is probably the most instantly commercial song here. Anna’s performance is packed with personality and this song screams ‘radio hit’, but this time with a different inference, intention and inflection. There’s more of a gutsy edge to Throw My Tears Away, with Anna almost growling out the lyrics in a kind of Chrissie Hynde way. Darren Gibbs’ attacking electric lead is matched note-for-note by the solid rhythmic interplay between bass and drums. 

This is a memorable collection of tunes, the kind of music that will stick in your brain and find you belting out the lyrics without realising it. The choruses just beg to be hummed for hours afterwards and the chord progressions are creative and different. This is a work of real quality and deserves to be heard by a wide audience.

www.brokenflowers.co.uk