Clay

Flo Perlin is a London-based singer-songwriter with Iraqi/Belarusian roots, a lovely resonant voice and a knack for writing hook-laden songs which she powers along with finger-picked, fast-strummed guitar (which she was taught to play by the man who taught Michael Kiwunaka). A graduate of the Nest Collective’s songwriting mentorship, she’s supported artists including Sam Lee and Peggy Seeger and released two albums praised for their craft, singularity and storytelling vibe. Clay, her third studio album, has a metaphoric title intended to reflect humankind’s ability to adapt and change, and ten songs whose subject matter reflects as much. ‘Mother Tongue’, an album highlight, tells of inheriting traits from our ancestors – here, the gift of music – even if language isn’t passed down; ‘Share My Heart’ is a reinvention of a song written when Perlin was 11; ‘Where She Started From’ is an intimate confessional and a paean to acceptance, change and weathering the storm. Recommended.