Track Review: Charlotte Lansman // Water
Once upon a time, an American guy from California met an English girl from County Durham. They courted, they liked each other and then they had five children – the youngest being singer-songwriter Charlotte Lansman.
A performer from the start, Charlotte began singing when she was very young. In fact, her earliest memory of singing for a crowd was “belting out M People in the primary school dinner hall”. Since her break-out performance in the dinner hall, she has performed in several bands, sang in choirs and was so taken with music that she studied Theatre and Performance at university. Unfortunately, a lack of self-confidence later in life led to Charlotte shelving her singing.
According to Charlotte, her “self-identity has always come from singing and my voice”. So, while there might have been a glitch confidence-wise, she remained interested in music. After rebuilding her interest in performance, she began learning the piano and continued writing songs. Charlotte recently released her debut single ‘Water’.
Influenced by jazz artists like Amy Winehouse, Melody Gardot, Nina Simone and Jamie Cullum, Charlotte’s music is smooth, laidback and very catchy. ‘Water’ is evident of that typical jazz/soul style with a steady, mellow sound that definitely belongs in some smoky jazz club.
Lyrically, the track is far more poignant and sentimental. ‘Water’ touches on the emotional consequences of a dissolved relationship where the protagonist is paralysed by past experiences. While distressing memories at that time, in hindsight they can seem trivial focusing on how you have grown. For Charlotte, ‘Water’ represents escapism and is the juxtaposition between a chaotic existence and finding hope in the stillness of nature.
The simple instrumentation combined with Charlotte’s throaty vocals makes the track melodic and comforting. A passionate, moving, honest and compelling single ‘Water’ is truly captivating. If this is her debut single, I can’t imagine how addictive her next releases will be.