Lucy Rose Returns Asking “Could You Help Me?”
Written by Millie Cain Edited by Eve Moat
We’ve missed her sultry tones and punch-in-the-heart lyrics, so nearly five years after her last album No Words Left, Lucy Rose releasing the new single ‘Could You Help Me’ this October had her fans in a frenzy.
Fast-paced, jazz-influenced piano sets the tone for the song from the get-go: she’s affected, dreamy yet exasperated. This beginning of jazz-pop piano drifts into a more ethereal sequence, which is punctuated by careering, electric guitar solos. With a full band behind her, she confidently controls the song with such alluring ease, almost like spinning the tale through her sound. With the addition of spattering drums, echoing vocals, and hints of electronic production – it gives a chaotic beat which can only be reflective of her own vaguely scattered mind, as she swings between her punchy lyrics, and finds a cathartic end in crooning, almost lullaby-like notes.
Channelling frustrations from parenthood, she discusses the intense back pain that came from it which made living her day-to-day life almost impossible. She even remarked recently: “I sought medical help but was dismissed repeatedly.” But, never one to be swayed, Lucy Rose explained in her press release how she’s listening to different influences, the likes of “Erroll Garner, Duke Ellington, Kiefer, Debussy, Little Simz, and finding myself drawn so much more to writing at a piano.”
After previously singing and working on records by Bombay Bicycle Club, Manic Street Preachers,
and Paul Weller, she’s got real poise and experience that brings a true masterfulness to her works. This single was co-produced and composed by artist Kwes, who has produced for the likes of Loyle Carner, Solange Knowles & Damon Albarn. Especially after launching her own independent label – Real Kind Records – in 2020, I sincerely hope that a fourth album of hers is to come, as this is “the beginning of a new chapter” as she transcends into further maturity and parenthood.
Lucy Rose will be playing an intimate one-off sold out at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London on 6th
January 2024. Her new single (and previous albums and singles) are available on all streaming platforms!
