Introducing… Sarah Doe

Here at Bearded we aim to shed light on acts who don't necessarily have giant labels or muscley budgets waving banners behind them. This Introducing series will focus on artists who we think are great, regardless of how much hype surrounds them or where their origin story lays.

Bio
Name: Sarah Doe
Location: London
Genre: Folk-pop
Similar Artists: KT Tunstall, early Ellie Goulding, Gabrielle Aplin
Facebook/Twitter: Twitter, Facebook.
Events: Introducing Slot on BBC Three Counties Radio (23rd March)

It's not often your ears prick up when hearing the words 'singer' and 'songwriter' in the same sentence, but with London-via-Dunstable songstress Sarah Doe, they most definitely will. She's been gigging venues around London for years leaving a wake of besotted fans, and honed her craft whilst in the picturesque city of Bath; her recent full-length effort Second Home deals with that transition to a new city. That feeling is timeless, apt for everyone leaving home for the first time or following love into the unknown – she deals with intriguing, not your run-of-the-mill song topics, covering a niche that few songsmiths dare to venture. There are more traditional themes of love and loss, yes, but their explored in a fresh way, something vital for artists in the genre. You can wander into any local tavern and hear a middling balladeer, but it's those who colour outside the lines that excel and are given time to shine.

Second Home is Doe's second LP. Cuts from her previous record (This Is Yesterday) piqued the interest of those ruling the airwaves, with 'This Time Around' winning her valuable exposure time on the radio. Doe has been steadily creeping into the limelight, and now she's brandishing a selection of mature, chart-poised tracks in which to take that next step towards the big-time. Following the success of Gabrielle Aplin over Christmas, and the burgeoning career of Nina Nesbitt (amongst many others), 2013 could see a resurgence of the female singer-songwriter, potentially with a roster to combat the massive male names of recent memory like Ben Howard and Bon Iver. If that's the case, Doe could well find herself riding an unstoppable wave.

Her music evokes memories of a more sombre, delicate KT Tunstall or the organic work of Ellie Goulding. Doe has a unique voice, laced with sympathy. She wields a tranquil timbre, despite the music being bawlingly emotional – she tackles some topics frighteningly appropriate for those donning their 'real life' hats for the first time; the sounds she sculpts are endearing, catalysts for remembering the best of your youth and the moments you thought you'd forgotten by the wayside, as well as providing the strength to march forth. Second Home especially is a transitory album, reflective at points but ultimately hopeful. Though an acoustic maestro, don't expect the record to be threadbare. Sumptuous piano, Yeah Yeah Yeahs-drums and neo-folk strings all seep in. There are twinkling chimes, axe solos and moments of electronica squirreling their way into the pop, which though perhaps surprising additions, blend fantastically to form a type of music that's musically interesting, lyrically powerful and like syrup on the ears.

When you think of pop, it tends to all be a tad puerile – Sean Paul isn't exactly the crème de la crème of musicality – but Sarah Doe manages to encapsulate those bitesize moments of emotional heft and earworm hooks, and wraps them up in a package full of integrity. This is sunkissed, gloriously introspective music from the bottom of her heart.