"New Boots" is the second album from Irish songstress Wallis Bird. Cute little Wallis is packed full of energy and excitement. Through the whole of "New Boots" you can hear Wallis singing her heart out and can picture her smiling away as she sings. New Boots is just such a happy album and the funky tracks like ‘LaLaLand’ get you singing along whilst the more chilled tracks, like the ambient ‘Made of Sugar’ really warm you. "New Boots" encompasses the right amount of acoustic tracks and full band recordings to give a nice diversity throughout and help to give each song it’s own individuality.
For me the sound has elements of Turin Brakes, Damien Rice and Janis Joplin, among many others. Wallis’ voice has this little twang to it that makes it stand out and with the energy she puts in to the performance, the overall result is just bubbling over with exuberance. Not only is Wallis Bird a fantastic singer but she also knows her way around a guitar. When Wallis really goes for it she gets a little bit raspy, which shows that she is really giving her all, as well as all the little ad lib’s she puts in, proving what a comfortable and composed performer she is.
"New Boots" is a breath of fresh air. Such passion and energy oozes from this record and from everything Wallis Bird does. This girl will go far and her use of different styles and the ability to make them all sound like her show musical maturity. If you are into folky pop with a hint of soul then do yourself a favour and go and buy "New Boots." Such great artists like Wallis Bird need to be encouraged and given the credit they deserve so that they can keep giving their all and releasing top quality music.