Rosalind Powell’s voice is a time machine in itself. In her standout single, I’ve Been Sick, taken from her album Sound Eagle, the West Wales singer-songwriter, composer, pianist, and teacher channels her blues into a swanky cabaret number. The jaunty vintage piano keys carry her theatrically alive voice through the airwaves and through the decades, giving the single the feeling of a stage lamp flickering over a soul that refuses to flatten itself for easy listening.
It is somewhat paradoxical how she allows a single exposing a melancholy soul to become a rapturous showtune, practically inviting you to envision red velvet curtains falling around her during the outro. Powell’s classically trained piano background gives the arrangement its poise, while her songwriting carries the emotional candour of someone who has written hundreds of songs and still treats each one like a living confession.
Inspired by the natural world and artists such as Tori Amos and Lana Del Rey, Powell brings theatrical folk-pop, blues, cabaret, and classical sensibility into one unforgettable frame. With albums including Circumference, Sound Eagle, and Dragonfly already online, plus environmental concerts, global radio play, songwriting recognition, and a Llangollen Festival appearance ahead, I’ve Been Sick lands as another ornate proof of her singularity.
I’ve Been Sick is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
