Amy MacDonald - This Is The Life Review

The current music scene isn't short of new female singer-songwriters, which should make it hard for Amy Macdonald to stand out from the crowd, but she manages it admirably. In fact, the more times you spin her debut disc, the more you'll come to love her like the casual mate who was never top of your party invite list but who you've gradually come to notice is the one who's always there when you really need her....full text Singer/ songwriter/ guitarist Amy Macdonald may still be a teenager but it’s hard to believe her music will ever appeal to her peers. Like Joss Stone, Macdonald has an old voice on her young shoulders. That’s not to say you should dismiss This Is The Life if you’re under 40, but you will need a more mature ear to relate to Amy’s folk-styled storytelling, grown-up vocal and country-influenced guitar....full text With KT Tunstall kindly having blasted off the doors to the establishment for ballsy Scots folk-rock songstresses, it was only a matter of time before someone like 19-year-old Amy Macdonald appeared to knock the socks of Ken Bruce again. Take a big, hefty, traditional Caledonian folk voice, with tints of Carole King and Dolores O' Riordan. An acoustic guitar galvanized by a fully-amped band. Songs that perch cross-ankled on the comfy middleground between critic-pleasing and unit-shifting. A no-bull attitude and a slight aroma of feminism. The "KT's little sister" label will no doubt follow and irk her for the immediate future, but it's hard to think of a better one....full text