Lou Rhodes - One Good Thing

One Good Thing (March 23 U.K., April 20 U.S.), is the third album of starkly rendered, deeply personal Nick Drake-styled British neo-folk from Lou Rhodes, the dusky-voiced singer/songwriter best known here in the U.S. as one half of the '96-'04 electronica/trip-hop duo Lamb. Following up on her Mercury Prize-nominated 2006 solo debut album Beloved One and 2007's Bloom, the creation of One Good Thing became something of a cathartic, brutally confessional experience for Rhodes as she dealt with the aftermath of what she terms her "dark valley": the suicide of her sister Janey and the breakdown of a lengthy relationship. Raising her children alone in the secluded British countryside, the devastated Rhodes began writing songs to help bring her out of what she looks back on as her emotional free fall.

Despite the inherent melancholy that chills many of the songs to the bone, there's also a glimmer of optimism in the shadows as demonstrated on the album's soulful and reflective title track. Like most of One Good Thing, the elements at work here are simple and direct: a warm acoustic guitar, Rhodes' supple, expressive voice and the rich and often dramatic orchestral string arrangements. Echoing her period of solitude and reaffirmation, there is a sense of lingering spaciousness between the notes in songs such as "It All" and "There For the Taking", yet the closeness and intimacy draws you in, practically feeling the breath of her singing or the texture of the guitar strings pushed against frets. Highly recommended. Check out the beautifully-produced EPK video for One Good Thing after the jump.

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Lou Rhodes - "One Good Thing" (from One Good Thing)

Lou Rhodes - "Janey" (from One Good Thing)