A lot can be said for an artist who sustains a pure vision throughout their music, which is exactly what can be said for singer-songwriter Rosie Carney and her new single ‘Awake Me’. A song beautiful in its simplicity; it all comes down to the ambient atmosphere of strings meets vocals. With lashings of reverberation, this young musician’s broken-hearted performance is all encompassing and the emotion feels potently raw, emphasised by the notes of life such as Carney’s sharp breath intakes and the sound of a plectrum against strings. To many it may appear that ‘Awake Me’ is only Carney’s second release, preceded by ‘Better Man’, but in fact these songs are a point of wiping the slate clean for this maturing talent. What’s she’s given us in return, is utterly ethereal, uncompromising folk in line with Laura Marling and Lilla Vargen. Keeps tabs on this County Donegal voice, we’re sure to hear more of it throughout the year. - HT