EP Review: Rebecca Raw – ‘Deep Within’

British singer/songwriter Rebecca Raw has released her debut EP Deep Within, full of a unique blend of pop, soul and folk. The EP is filled with lavish lyrics that show Raw’s talent in writing; she is able to portray beautiful scenes with her words, singing about love, the future, and beyond. Speaking about Deep Within‘s songs, Raw said, “[E]ach song was born as a personal response to a challenging time, but hope prevails in my life and I always try to encapsulate this in my music.  As others reach into the heart of these stories, I hope that they will discover for themselves more treasures of this rich, wonderful, crazy thing called life.”

Deep Within begins with Raw’s signature track, ‘Connection.’ Raw said that the song is “an intensely personal exploration of a widely-shared experience: the desire for deeper, more dependable relationships in a time when many are shallow and fleeting.”

The next song, ‘Dust and Ashes’ begins with an intro that sounds like the Warblers from Glee (Remember them?) In other words, it’s a harmonious a capella delight, and as Raw joins the track, her hypnotic track blends beautifully with the production – although at times the background humming does make it a bit hard to listen to her lyrics. After such a long intro of strictly warbling, it would’ve been better suited to have Raw’s vocals take a more prominent approach on the track. Towards the end of the track, this harmony of production and vocals is met, when a pounding resonates and claps resound, adding a bit of a beat to all the layered vocals.

‘Whisper Thin’ is a piano-driven ballad, with Raw playing Cello on the track in addition to her vocal talents. It’s your standard ballad, but it certainly showcases Raw’s vocal range. She paints an illustrious portrait with her lyrics all of which were written by herself.

On ‘Freefall,’ Raw’s vocals take center stage, and she paints a beautiful picture. Raw’s style and sound are reminiscent of Imogen Heap, and ‘Freefall’ demonstrates this beautifully. It’s a beautifully catchy and (no pun intended) raw track that gives versatility to Deep Within. Each song was certainly crafted with care, but there is a carefree element to ‘Freefall’ that lives up to its name in the best sense of the word.

Deep Within winds down with ‘Calling.’ An eerie production opens the track that eventually makes way to an ethereal beauty, with Raw’s voice sounding smooth and resplendent as she sings about going into the future, not knowing what lies ahead. The future may be unpredictable, but if one were to place a bet — Rebecca Raw’s future is sure to be bright.

Buy Deep Within on iTunes. Stream the EP on Spotify below.