Cavendish Records
Release Date: December 8th 2023
Reviewed by: Jonathan Andre
Lucy Thomas – Beyond (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
- Evergreen
- A Whiter Shade of Pale
- The Greatest Love Of All
- What a Wonderful World (feat. Martha Thomas)
- Hold On
- Brand New Day
- Pie Jesu
- Bridge Over Troubled Water
- Above The Clouds (feat. Will Callan)
- Smile (feat. Martha Thomas & Louise Thomas)
- The Way We Were
- A Thousand Years
Lucy Thomas’s music is something unique, something to behold and something that people are going to be impressed about, as this young 19-year-old from Lancashire has carved a name for herself delivering albums of famous pop and broadway covers, ever since her introduction into music by the way of The Voice Kids UK. Though only 19 currently, she’s been able to tackle some of music’s most complicated songs, vocally, and make them her own, as her music continues to amaze people, and hopefully allows listeners to rekindle their own love for broadway music, soundtracks, and showtunes, even music of the past, that would otherwise have been swept under the rug, in favour of the pop music landscape at the moment. Lucy’s music is a step above, and maybe, just maybe, she can follow in the footsteps of Jackie Evancho and her music, as the years continue to roll by? Lucy’s music has given me a new perspective on big-ballad songs that have impacted music and society during the 1990s and 2000s, and it is through an artist like Lucy (and also through other ‘cover’ artists Cimorelli and Peter Hollens, and more recently rock cover band First to Eleven), that I now firmly believe that cover artists can still have their place, in music, society, and have an impact on people who they themselves want to get a start in the music business, through the way of Youtube. Lucy’s talent at such a young age is indeed off the charts- maybe talent shows actually do work? With songs from soundtracks, broadway musicals, and big-soaring ballads of yesteryear, making up most of Lucy’s musical repertoire thus far; Lucy’s crisp sound and steady voice beyond her years, makes her one of the most uniquely gifted and compelling cover artists I’ve heard in a long, long time (ever since artists like Peter Hollens and Cimorelli!).
I undertook a blog post about Lucy (written in mid-2021), about the impact I believe she has had (and will continue to have), in music, society and history, in the upcoming years to come; and it was in me writing that blog, that I rekindled my own appreciation for music of yesteryear, especially 1990s music, the decade that I myself grew up in. It’s rare to be an artist this young, and deliver effortlessly covers from artists like Mariah Carey (‘Hero’), Snow Patrol (‘Run’), The Eagles (‘Desperado’), Celine Dion (‘My Heart Will Go On’), Leonard Cohen (‘Hallelujah’), Sarah McLachlan (‘Angel’), Coldplay (‘Fix You’), Faith Hill (‘There You’ll Be’) and Whitney Houston (‘I Have Nothing’), with such grace, poise, elegance, and heart, but that’s what Lucy has definitely done. And then to top it all off with covers of songs from soundtracks of movies/musicals past (‘Reflection’, ‘A Million Dreams’, ‘Never Enough’, ‘Listen’, ‘Someone Like You’, ‘Defying Gravity’, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Memory’, to name a few), and I firmly believe you have a star in the making, someone that is hopefully destined to carry on and deliver classic songs that can bring a younger generation into the fold of appreciating songs that have lent themselves to the fabric of music for decades upon decades, songs that have shaped the culture and identity of the world, and songs that have really reminded us the power of music as a whole, regardless of the time period and genre.
It is in Lucy’s powerful covers, where I myself find this particularly true statement of how the song should be bigger than the initial artist singing it, and that some songs that are timeless (a.k.a. a lot of the songs Lucy has covered in her career thus far) should be heartfelt, challenging, and compelling regardless of the vocalist singing. And Lucy has definitely given us this experience across Premiere, Encore, Timeless and Destiny (unveiled in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 respectively) and now as we fastforward to February 2024, we’ve been blessed once again to receive another musical offering from Lucy. Beyond, Lucy’s 5th album, released in December 2023, and comprised of various hits that she has covered throughout last year and this year (most are available as either a cover video online, or on Apple Music as an entire album release)- Lucy’s most recent album features songs that are arguably some of her best, vocally- this is an artist who’s voice is far beyond her years, showing us a thing or two about the necessity of songs of yesteryear, and that as much as we care not to admit, we enjoy a lot of these 1990s and 2000s tracks more than we show. Songs have the ability to change and inspire, and in some extreme cases, alter the trajectory of someone’s life, coming in at just the right time for someone who may need some kind of hope and perseverance. A lot of the songs on Beyond are indeed songs like these- reminding each and every one of us of this notion of soaring beyond the situations and circumstances that we are currently in, through discipline, steadfastness, perseverance and hard work. Beyond stands at 12 tracks, and consists songs of yesteryear, alongside originally written songs specifically for Lucy to sing- from the upcoming musical Rosie, with that soundtrack being unveiled in April 2024.
Standing at 12 tracks, much of the music that is present on Lucy’s 5th album, has been from standout songs of yesteryear, originally from musicals and soundtracks of films gone by, and are now considered to be timeless songs that are standouts in that particular time period and remind us all of the fabric of music and how these songs have shaped music then, and music as it currently is today. Sitting at track #1 on Beyond, ‘Evergreen’ is a hauntingly compelling song originally from the 1976 movie A Star is Born; and is originally sung by Barbara Streisand. While the song itself didn’t translate and be re-recorded for the 2018 remake of the movie (featuring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga), the song itself is still nevertheless a classic. But to be honest, I’ve only heard of A Star is Born– have never seen it, the remake starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, nor it’s 1976 musical, starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson (which is in turn also a remake). Maybe I just haven’t been across as many musicals as I may have personal would’ve liked, but regardless of this, I can still appreciate such powerful songs originated from musicals, and a song like ‘Evergreen’ is no different- Lucy’s rendition knocks it out of the park, as ‘Evergreen’ is a great step forward in an album of 12 songs where each song is poignant and compelling, challenging and enjoyable, all at once. ‘A Thousand Years’, by American singer-songwriter Christina Perri, is covered by Lucy as track #12 (the last track), presented in a ‘Lucy Thomas’ ballad atmosphere, as Lucy herself proves to us that she can tackle and conquer a ‘current’ love song from today (the early 2010s), compared to all of her covers of 1990s and 2000s songs, as well as covers of soundtrack melodies, that have been present on her previous four albums to date. Covering ‘A Thousand Years’ is definitely a tall order, and Lucy executed that with such poise and grace. ‘The Way We Were’, also originally by Barbara Streisand (for her album of the same name, from the 1980s), is also given the Lucy Thomas treatment…and after hearing both ‘Evergreen’ and ‘The Way We Were’, maybe we can long for more Barbara Streisand covers? Lucy just covers them all so well. Maybe, from hearing these two covers alone, we can safely say that Lucy, by vocal alone, is by far one of the most underrated cover artists in all of recent musical memory?
Throughout the rest of the album, Lucy’s delivery of iconic songs of the ages, is what makes this ‘cover’ artist so unique, and I’m sure that Lucy’s future is bright, either in stage productions, musicals, power-ballad covers of iconic songs, or even if she’s doing original music in the future. ‘The Greatest Love of All’, track #3 on Beyond, was originally recorded by jazz/soul artist George Benson (which in turn was also covered by 1980s icon Whitney Houston) and I guess any cover (and a good cover, I might say) of a Whitney-famous song (everyone knows Whitney’s version, even though George recorded the song first) should make the listener at least interested and intrigued about said cover artist (Lucy in this case), right? Lucy’s precision and power are unparalleled- she did the song justice- quite possibly one of my favourite covers of the song, in general. The song itself was recorded by George Benson in the 1970s; and was the theme song of the biopic movie The Greatest, a movie about boxer Muhammad Ali. 8 years after the original recording, Whitney Houston recorded the song…and the rest was history, I reckon. Lucy’s version is just as poignant and emotive, and a reminder of the timelessness of such songs, that even a song from the 1970s (and 80s) can still impact and encourage, even now. ‘What A Wonderful World’ is one of 3 collaborations Lucy has with her family- Lucy and her sister Martha sing on a Louis Armstrong classic ‘What a Wonderful World’, while they also reunite to deliver a stirring rendition of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Pie Jesu’. Lucy and Martha are also joined by their mother for the iconic song ‘Smile’- all these three songs are exquisite, heartfelt, and compelling, and is a powerful reminder of why I enjoy songs from yesteryear so much- ‘What A Wonderful World’ is by far one of Louis Armstrong’s most famous songs ever, while ‘Smile’, originally by Charlie Chaplin (music) and Nat King Cole (music + lyrics), is considered one of the most iconic pop songs…well, ever. And ‘Pie Jesu’, is a poetic melody littered with religious imagery, and is delivered effortlessly by these two sisters, and is a definite standout on Beyond (in spite of the song not being in English- it’s sung in Latin, I believe.
Lucy also presents a cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’- at a tad below 5 minutes, Lucy’s powerful rendition showcases her vocals quite compellingly, as we see Lucy in her element as she delivers the high notes (of the last chorus) with much ease and grace, something that isn’t always the case with most people her age. Her current age of 19 is a reminder that age is truly a number- you can almost be forgiven to think that the age of Lucy is much higher than that of 18, especially if you’ve only heard her songs and haven’t seen her face before- that’s how refined and steady her singing voice actually is. ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ is also given the Lucy Thomas treatment, as Lucy delivers this song with such honesty and proficiency, something that is unique for a person her age. The version that people know, was by Eurythmics lead singer Annie Lennox in the 1990s, and while the original version was all the way from the 1960s, that’s not the version that people know. Still, Lucy’s rendition is powerful and unique, enjoyable and compelling, and even though the song itself can seem a little confusing (even to this day, there’s no definitive ‘meaning’ behind the song itself), that’s not to say that Lucy’s rendition doesn’t do the song justice- because she does. In spite of us listeners still not having much of a clue of what this song really means, the rendition is…perhaps even better than Annie Lennox’s? I reckon so!
Then there’s Lucy’s original songs- ‘Hold On’ and ‘Above the Clouds’ are both from the forthcoming musical Rosie (of which Lucy is a part of- perhaps being in the starring role as the female lead), while ‘Brand New Day’ is Lucy’s original song (not attached to any musical project, at this point) that reminds us of each new day is a chance for us to restart again and is a further opportunity for us to impact someone else’s day for the better, saying ‘…a prayer for the lost and lonely, say a prayer for those afraid, let ’em know the dark is lifting and tomorrow is a brand new day…’ ‘Above the Clouds’ and ‘Hold On’ were written specifically for the upcoming musical of Rosie– of which I think Lucy Thomas herself will be a big part of…maybe even play the lead of Rosie? Who knows. But what I do know, is that the songs unveiled thus far from Rosie: The Musical (‘Suddenly’ and ‘Starlight’ from Premiere, ‘Gentle Breeze’ from Encore, ‘Broken Dreams’ from Destiny and now these songs from Beyond) are powerful and poignant, enjoyable, and compelling. There’s an upcoming album titled Rosie: The Musical (The Original Studio Cast Recording), coming March 2024…maybe I’ll review that album in the upcoming weeks ahead? A musical to consider watching in the years ahead, I’m sure!
Lucy’s music is a blessing for anyone who has heard her music. And while Lucy is still a relatively unknown artist in the music community at large, her more recent albums Timeless, Destiny and Beyond can hopefully change that. We are reminded that talent like Lucy’s only comes around once in a lifetime- you have the artists of yesteryear, like Etta James, Eva Cassidy, Barbra Streisand, and Aretha Franklin, and while it can create a big hole in music when artists of that calibre pass away, the sting it leaves, becomes less and less, knowing that an artist like Lucy Thomas is here, presenting music in virtually the same calibre of quality as these artists aforementioned. It’s not easy to sing covers by Barbara Streisand, Nat King Cole, Christina Perri, Simon & Garfunkel, Annie Lennox, Whitney Houston and Louis Armstrong, with such precision and enthusiasm at such a ripe ol’ age of 19, and if anyone has the capabilities of that, then they’re just blessed by God, full stop. And that, in and of itself, should be reason enough for anyone to check out Lucy’s work, at least once, right?
Lucy’s music has been instrumental in my own life, as I’ve revisited my own appreciation for 1990s ballads, familiar pop songs of the 2000s, and has reawakened my own continual appreciation of musicals- and hopefully me being able to check out a few more musical films in the months and years to come, has been because of me listening to an artist like Lucy. Is that too far-fetched of an assumption? Maybe. Maybe I can watch movies/stage productions like Hamilton, A Star is Born and Newsies in the upcoming year ahead? Musicals have a way of telling a story through song, that many other movies (non-musicals) cannot, as we’re reminded that songs in general have the ability to showcase deep and poignant feelings a person may have, that may only find it comfortable to sing about- they are given permission to discuss various issues through song, that they believe they can’t, when it’s just them talking about it.
Listening to Lucy and her beautifully arranged covers of songs from the 1990s (and 1980s) to now; reminds me of the wide world of songs from movies and songs from musicals, that I still don’t know about, that I want to know about in years to come. Maybe I can hopefully watch the iconic ones soon- Wicked, Cats, Jersey Boys, Rent, Mamma Mia… those ones that people generally know. And if it is somehow by a Lucy Thomas song that has reawakened my very own appreciation of that particular style of music, then that is a good thing. If I’ve realised that musicals aren’t as ‘foreign’ or ‘different’ as what I thought of them to be, through such an artist as Lucy, then I guess her music, and her ability to deliver powerful ballads at such a young age, is something to be respected, admired and honoured for what it is- something used by God in order for us to see far beyond our very own music bubbles we submerse our whole lives in. Well done Lucy for all of the song renditions on Beyond (and on Destiny, Timeless, Encore and Premiere too!). Can’t wait to what is in store for you next…maybe some collaborations with artists like Josh Groban, Peter Hollens, Jackie Evancho and Penatonix in the future? Whatever the case, Beyond needs to be heard pronto, and on repeat if you can. An artist like Lucy ought not to be ignored any more. And Premiere, Encore, Timeless, Destiny and Beyond can remind us of this very fact, that you don’t have to be too young to know that you have something to say.
3 songs to listen to: Brand New Day, A Thousand Years, Bridge Over Troubled Water
Score: 5/5
RIYL: Jackie Evancho, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Sarah McLachlan, Josh Groban, Jeff Buckley