SINGLE REVIEW: LUCY BLU - HAPPIER

In an otherwise fun packed night at The Water Rats. there was a moment that gave #TEAMw21 pause for thought. Lucy Blu would play the song that we are about to review, not knowing how she was going to publicise it, because of the inevitable flak that she would get online. It seemed to be a ridiculous state of affairs that someone who has poured their heart and soul into something, sending out a message that many others would take comfort from, has to be concerned about the response of idiots given licence by the anonymity of the internet.

The cover shows Lucy in a dressing room, staring at herself in the mirror, which to the casual onlooker seems to be quite a normal picture, and that we'd guess, is the whole crux of the issue, for it is in the eye of the beholder how they perceive the image being reflected back.

The opening to "Happier" is quite mournful as befits a message of great import, with just an acoustic guitar and pedal steel creating the initial atmosphere. The words pretty much speak for themselves, the "It never ends" carrying a double meaning, both personal and societal, in terms of things improving.

"Stick to baggy clothes, maybe no-one will notice

Promises I made, with no intentions to keep

It never ends, how'd it all get so mixed up?

My worth depends on a number on a scale"

The chorus sees the arrival of gentle, subtle percussion

"I'll do the things I've wanted, and oh, the clothes I'll wear

And I'll finally be happy with the colour of my hair

I won't cry, I'll just be kinder to myself

I know that I will be happier when"

The second verse is an acceptance from Lucy that she is by far from being alone in feeling this way, and it those people who might benefit most from hearing this song. It sees the arrival of bass and percussion but leaves Lucy very much at the forefront of the sound.

"Used to do ballet, so my calves stick out too far

And I hate my nose, how it goes when I smile

Always compare, to other girls who just like me

Have parts themselves they hate, but no-one sees"

The exit from the second chorus takes us to a good old fashioned guitar solo, providing just the right amount of separation so that Lucy can nail things home on the bridge, about quite how life changing this has been.

"I hope my mind, will find some payback

But that won't change a single thing

Cos all I ever lost is who I am"

The final verse is the most affecting, for it starts with Lucy off mic singing the opening line

"So do the things you want to

And wear the clothes you like

'cause fifteen pounds don't change a thing

about who you are inside

It's time to be kinder to yourself

Trust me you'll be happier then"

The end of the track sees just a percussive drum beat, one hopes that is Lucy, marching to the beat of her own drum, doing things her way rather than being constricted by the "opinions" of others or worse by herself. That closing message about "Being kinder to yourself" is one that is true for so many.

It's a lot to convey in the duration of a three and half minute single but Lucy has done a fine job. Will it change the world? - probably not, but if it offers help to others or brings attention to something that to many of us remains unseen, or gives us pause for thought to be easy on ourselves, then it will more than have achieved its objective.