Tiny as she is, Rae Morris must be filled to the core with voice and she's just got to let it out.
Then she spoke, and once more took the audience a little by surprise as she thanked everyone for coming in a husky, whispery voice. Rae is incredibly timid when she speaks, but her singing voice is royally rich and sumptuous, as if all that confidence and power is saved for the music.
The only word that really seems to fit her pre-amble persona is 'endearing'. Rae Morris is the picture of endearing as she sips on a can of diet coke, adjusts her laid-back cable knit jumper and thanks the audience profusely for their praise. "I am just so full of thanks"
Everything about this girl is real. Her hair curls freely and is big enough to be the source of all her vocal power. Even her anecdotes paint a picture of a girl absolutely absorbed by her music and otherwise she is the epitome of the anti-diva. Speaking about tour-life she says how rather than being 'all rock and roll, we find ourselves just drinking loads of brews and getting early nights'. She tells us of her fussy eating habits and how she's having 'such an amazing time [on tour] but I seem to get less and less confident each time'. This lack of confidence is only noticeable when she is speaking, as soon as her words are set to a melody she finds a power and assurance you'd assume to be impossible of a girl so meek and mild in speech.
Regardless of her timid pre-amble, when Rae sings she has a presence as big as her hair, controlling her voice and shaping it into perfectly formed swells and whispers exuding emotional expression.
In 'Day One' she sings with a bluesy style interspersing warm drawn out notes with quick whispers. The husky edge to her sweet tone gives her a sound akin to a younger, fresher Alanis Morrissette.
'Don't Go' is one of the strongest of her tracks, this track could be a big'un, giving her a great chance to show off her impossibly strong voice and soulful style. The set is strong throughout but perhaps half an hour is as much as can be sustained with this fairly limited style of relaxed, soulful ballad style. Perhaps she'd benefit from a band behind her or even someone jumping in on percussion once in a while. If anything, having someone else on stage might give her that little confidence boost she needs between songs. That being said her voice is exciting and vibrant enough to keep the audience transfixed and every note seems to come from the depth of her soul. It was half an hour of uninterrupted 'wow'-factor.
Rae Morris is a natural, she has very good control of her powerful voice and the potential to go really far as a performer. Every note is a pleasure to hear and she is a charming, if somewhat self-deprecating, character. Saying at the request for an encore "I don't have to do another one if you don't want" and of course, with a voice like that, that's exactly what the audience did want!
Rae Morris is endearing and incredibly talented.
Have a watch of her set on the BBC Introducing stage at Reading 2011;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8A8Z_4l1L0
'Day One' - Rae Morris:
