Rachel Ries’ voice is incredibly full and satisfying in her new EP ´Cardinal´, mingling with her steady guitar lines, playing off her own engaging harmonies. The first song Winding Road is a testament to the power an unadorned voice and guitar can have, taking on an unmistakable French touch (taken from this EP being written whilst in residency in France). This touch to her tone combines with her American sound, creating something unique, warm and organic.

´Homing´, the second track is similarly strong, exhibiting further the raw power of Rachel´s voice. Quainter than the title track, her vocals sway throughout the track from pure strength to gentleness with impressive suppleness. The accordion line is jaunty and touching, balancing perfectly the lyrical movement, to create a beautiful song.

Rachel makes particular use of varying instruments throughout this EP, and ´Good Enough´ is no exception to this. The classic piano line, builds throughout the piece whilst Rachel proves the impact of her straight honest lyrics. Anchor the following and final track takes a complete change of pace, using a combination of piano and guitar in harmony with each other. Delicately the vocals gush and subside with the emotion in her voice, mirroring the waves within the story she so beautifully describes.

This is a fantastic EP, from an artist who looks set to produce many more beautiful tracks. She is touring along with the release of ´Cardinal´ with dates in the UK throughout March.