Clare Maguire starts new era with dramatic ballad ‘Elizabeth Taylor
There was a time, in 2011 to be precise, that Clare Maguire was named as one of the most promising new artists, according to BBC. Her debut Light After Dark, full of dark and bombastic pop tunes including the quite brilliant ‘The Shield and the Sword’, came out and gained her some success and recognition, but probably not the result she and her label would have hoped for. Although she kept on writing and releasing demos, a second album seemed far away, but last year, she put out the EP Don’t Mess Me Around and now it is official. A sophomore record is actually coming! Stranger Things Have Happened will see the light of day in May and first single ‘Elizabeth Taylor’ is out now. What a tune, what a voice!

For those of you forgot how powerful her voice actually sounded on tracks like ‘Ain’t Nobody’ and ‘The Last Dance’, she proves it all over again with the dramatic power ballad ‘Elizabeth Taylor’. Although some of the tracks on her debut were outstanding, she now shows us she does not need those bombastic arrangements to make an impression. She just sings over piano and some strings this time and from start to finish, she gives it her all. She starts out quietly stating she feels like Elizabeth Taylor alone in her trailer and surrounded by strangers. By the time the chorus comes along she belts out “I’ve loved, I’ve lost and loved again, but here I am, here I stand, another lesson learned”. The soaring melody is so catchy and the drama in her vocals will make you want to push the replay button again and again. She is back!