Not quite the famous George Best related quote of ‘Where did it all go wrong’, more a case of Why? Boo was Juliet’s first LP and it came to be her only commercially available record for decades. Her output over the following decades could probably be described as minimal, so it is hardly a surprise to think that there is an interesting story behind all those years. Which adds a little more mysticism to what is a very accomplished recording. She is on record as saying her voice has improved over the years (not always the case with artists), and if listening to this, you can certainly understand why the comparisons to Joni Mitchell were forthcoming.
It is primarily a gentle, mellow sound that certainly has more than enough highlights. Following a folk inspired Side A (ably assisted by members of the legendary folk band ‘Trees’), it is a surprise to kick off Side 2 with a jolly, almost pop style song entitled ‘It’s only a week away’- unsurprisingly, this was her only single. The choral nature of ‘Playing is no song’ strips back the sound again to its most basic and ‘You’re so Right, September’ showcases her ability to stretch the vocals once more, which may have influenced the music press to draw the comparisons they did. There is perhaps an irony to the lines ‘I have fortune tellers tell me things, I have no right to ask’ given her future direction, but this song has a lovely chorus to it. It closes with Frog in the Jam with a lovely few lines ‘But don’t blame it on my favorite traveller, cos he’s my friend, at least he was, But I was wrong again’. Undoubtedly many can relate to that as they all used the 70’s to go off to distant lands.
Who knows what might have been for Juliet. But that’s another story. Taking this at face value, there is enough promise and interest held within, to attract anyone inspired by folk music of that era. It is well performed, hangs together very nicely as a package of self-penned material, with enough variation across the tracks to make you want to listen time and again. Juliet has in fact brought up a family, spent time as an artist, play writer and released a new EP a couple of years ago. She has also spent a lot of time doing live gigs, songwriting (even writing the music for Channel 4’s Comic Chips) and is currently involved in a documentary film project. Hoping she’ll record more of her music soon.
