“I wanna believe in the words I write”, Lucy Spraggan declares on ‘Don’t Play This on the Radio’.
It’s exactly that mantra that has made Lucy Spraggan’s work over the past six years so endearing. Today she releases fourth studio album, Today Was a Good Day – a glorious 14 track reminder of just how talented a lyricist Spraggan is.
Indeed, the plodding ‘Don’t Play This on the Radio’ is one of the record’s best moments. Tongue-in-cheek, yet with a heartfelt message, the 27-year-old coos, “you might not hear this on the radio, but I’m not sure I care you know”. It’s one of the 21st century’s greatest wonders just why Spraggan’s honest folk-rock sound hasn’t been snapped up by radios across the country (albeit until being playlisted on Radio 2 two weeks ago). Nonetheless, whilst working with independent label Cooking Vinyl, it’s a story that makes Today Was a Good Day so triumphant.
It’s an album full of stories from every walk of the singer/songwriter’s life. Spraggan hides nothing with an endearing honesty that explains just why she has so many fans with little commercial support. ‘End of the World’ looks to savour the best life has to offer and ‘Connie’s Bar’ takes you off the beaten for a pint with Spraggan, whilst ‘Love is the Best Revenge’ is a euphoric detailing of the singer’s extraordinary success story.
Other stand-out moments include single and rapturous ballad ‘Lucky Stars’, as well as ‘Home Wasn’t Built in a Day’ in which Spraggan opens the door into her life with wife Georgina Gordon, “Put on your worst jeans, and meet me in the living room, I have a bottle of red wine that’s waiting for you”. Elsewhere, ‘The Waiting Room’ is a heart-wrenching ode to the star’s passed dog which will have you smiling and crying at the same time.
Whether you’ve listened to any of Lucy Spraggan’s past releases or not, after the 45-minutes of Today Was a Good Day you’ll feel like you know her better than any of the biggest names in music today. That’s a credit to everything she does – if it was easy to pour so much heart into music, there’d be more artists on Spraggan’s level.
Today Was a Good Day is a record that deserves to be treasured. Artists like Lucy Spraggan don’t come around often.
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