Album Review: Emma's Imagination: Stand Still

Emma's Imagination - Stand Still

Emma Gillespie seems to have completely slipped underneath my radar. Apparently, she won the Sky talent show Must Be The Music last year and had two top ten hits in 2010 - the chirpy This Day and the more melancholy Focus. Her debut album (released on Gary Barlow's Future Records label) is her 'prize' for her TV success, although I'm not sure it's going to catapult her into superstardom.

Stand Still is a nice enough record. It has a gentle, acoustic sound reminiscent of Natalie Imbruglia or, oddly, Alisha's Attic (remember them?!) and Gillespie has an ear for a decent melody. Its main problem, however, is that it sounds rather like countless other similar records by similar female singer-songwriters. Quirky and whimsical, Stand Still has very little to distinguish it from a raft of other records, meaning it lacks a little bit of personality.

I enjoyed it enough, and it's certainly something I will come back to in the future. Just don't expect to be mesmerised by Stand Still - it's perfectly fine but you do get the distinct impression that you've heard it all before.