From these eleven carefully selected tracks, it seems that “No Space For Air” alludes to the closeness and sometimes claustrophobia of passionate relationships. Opening number “Weak” contains the line ‘deep as I am’ - a perfectly summary of the emotional explorations which follow.
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From these eleven carefully selected tracks, it seems that “No Space For Air” alludes to the closeness and sometimes claustrophobia of passionate relationships. Opening number “Weak” contains the line ‘deep as I am’ - a perfectly summary of the emotional explorations which follow.


Doing what theatrically famous Julie Atherton does best, particular highlights are “Lost In Translations” from the concept musical ‘Lift’ and “Losing My Mind” from Sondhiem’s ‘Follies.’

“Lost In Translation” contains one expletive, but is a wonderful tale of a dare that went wrong, delivered with the kind of skill only a top West End artist can manage. Every ounce of comedy and deep yearning are delivered against a beautifully mixed backing.

Any selection from ‘Follies’ is usually a cliché. Atherton and her arranger neatly avoid the problem with a surprise arrangement. To say more would spoil the joy of its discovery, but suffice to say it alone is worth the price of the disc for many fans of both singer and songwriter.

Further into the album “Crawling” explores, with variations in accompaniment and tempo, insecurity. This contrasts perfectly with the dominating “Leather,” employing strong imagery and matching vocals to consider the complex dynamics of control and passion. “Broken Wings” manages a similar level of emotion, with less obvious pain and greater introspection.

“Never Saw Blue Like That” and “Silent Whispers” cool things a little. The first, slower, number uses the colour in Atherton’s voice to evoke images of a sunlit coastal villa. The second celebrates quiet togetherness with a delightfully warm tone from the singer. Placing “Anywhere But Here” directly after this provides a thoughtful balance in the disc’s running order, a reflective interlude before rounding it off with “Encore” - offering some optimism and a plan for future happiness.

My first reaction to this album release was, “Julie Atherton? The lady who sings the wonderfully crazy song on the ‘Christmas In New York’ Album, right?” Actually, I abbreviated the description to two words… This disc proves to be worth many more, most of them superlatives.

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