It is difficult to believe that I Can't Keep Secrets is the debut album by Eva Prowse. This album sounds so refined and polished it is hard to believe this is a first effort. It could be the fact that the album is heavily associated with strong names such as Samuel Flynn Scott and Lee Prebble. But upon one listen to this album album Eva Prowse, the artist, stands on her own. It is her class, optimism and astonishing power to spin a great tale about anything and everything. This album will have audiences hanging off every word like a novel that you just cannot put down. Page after page, you will not be able to stop reading, and song after song I Can’t Keep Secrets has you right in its web.
The album begins with 'Vegemite and Spaceships' which is as cute as the title suggests. The song is wrapped in simplicity and sealed with a veil of naivety. The already released single 'Youngest Child' sings the baby blues in a catchy coil of folk. Next through 'Hope Remains' is a compassionate slower song that showcases the very country feel of the album.
Move through to 'Complacency' and things get phlegmatic, with a balance of apathy and sentiment; an unusual mix which Prowse manages to capture throughout this album through her enchanting, story-telling voice. The tongue-twisting name 'Sophocles Sarcophagus' references back to moments in the adventures of comic hero Tintin , in another clever example of her narrative skills which she works so well into her music in this beautiful pop package.
'In the Agora' is a song that lingers with streams of guitar strings and melodies. 'She's Bound To Get Ya' stands out on this album as a sturdy song which encompasses the sass of this singer, who embodies both smoothness and a more scuffed edge. Capturing a sense of wisdom, far beyond her years 'Fashion Vs. Function' is mature and established with an accomplished solidity within the composition.
In all its splendour 'Lie in the Land' is an amazing country chant that is almost like a breeze that is both warm and gentle and so very familiar. This album ends on a fabulously rich and cultivated 'Pirie Street'. This song moves through layers and depths of musicality and recitation, with an effect that is a lasting impression of profound magic.
I Can't Keep Secrets is an album that needs to be explored. Prowse is an artist to watch as the talent that is so prevalent on this album will move her to far-reaching depths of the art of songwriting. Simplicity is its basis. Prowse is a multi-faceted artist who effortlessly conveys a sweet mixture of pure emotion and clever songs in this most insightful way.
-Janise.
Eva Prowse is a striking new-folk-pop singer songwriter who has rewritten the rules of country-folk to create a fusion of genres which undeniably proves her talent as one of New Zealand’s emerging female vocalists.
Prowse impresses audiences with her clear vocals, quirky lyrics and command of the violin, guitar and mandolin.