This County Dublin singer has again chosen the indie path for her second album. That the end result is up to the standard of any major label release is commendable. Seaver funded the recording and release of this folkish-pop album by continual gigging. Something that, no doubt, also helped her hone her craft.
Seaver has written all 12 songs on the album as well as co-producing it with Andy Knightley and playing acoustic guitar and piano. There is a full band on hand for most of the tracks which tends to move it up a notch from the more acoustic folk approach that is often the path of such albums. The playing throughout is strong and supportive. Her vocals are the focal point of the songs and in that department she has a strong and determined voice that, on occasion, has a slight tendency to over-sing certain phrases. She really stands out on the quieter songs like the piano ballads Down In Tears and Little Song or the stripped back voice and guitar of If I Lost It All. She can also handle the uptempo numbers like I Knew and slow build of a song like Exposed.
These are the songs of a person finding their place in the world, someone figuring out relationships and listening to inner voices. Something everyone does, something that a lot of songwriters do but not something everyone can do in a cohesive manner. The songs have a universality that will translate across boundaries but also place her in a tide of similarly-minded independent singer/songwriters struggling to be heard. Seaver can hold her own in that company but at this early stage in her career isn't quite as distinctive as she may need to be to stand out.
That aside she has produced an album she can be proud of and one that shows a burgeoning talent who will continue to grow and develop her skills. Turbulent Bliss shows confidence and clarity and should bring her an immediate response in the environs that she has and will play over the next few months. She has written some songs that display a growing skill and given the breaks Seaver could easily be a contender. Let's hope she finds more bliss than turbulence.
Review by Stephen Rapid