A Review of "Give My Life" by Marshall Thomas, Freelance Writer: 

 

The saying "some things are worth waiting for" could never be more appropriate than for Helen's second full album. An album of love songs that still brings a tear to the eye of a 30-year-old bloke after multiple plays obviously has that extra special 'something'.

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A blend of both gentle and up-tempo, undeniably infectious rhythms and sumptuous ballads make a glorious wrapping for 14 songs encapsulating the mixture of feelings and emotions that describe love won, loved up, love passed by, love lost, and love hoped for.

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"Give My Life" represents over a decade of songwriting by Helen with 11 of the tracks on the album self-penned by Helen.. These include the opening title track, which has one of those 'gently infectious rhythms' also found on the fourth track, "Running Scared", on which Helen duets superbly with Chris Winter, the album's Producer and one of a talented set of musicians that help make "Give My Life" such a delight.

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Long-term fans will remember Helen and fellow musician Doug playing universities as "The Promise" and their first song, "My Love Is Strong" is here still stirring the soul 10 years on, alongside a great re-recording of a personal favourite, 'Falling Deep In Love', from Helen's first Album "Safe".

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The tempo turns up a notch or two for "My Energy", "Still On My Mind" and the first of two covers, Olivia Newton John's "A Little More Love". As an eight-year-old I wasn't into Olivia Newton-John when this first came out in the late Seventies, but having heard it on the radio in the years since the similarity between Olivia's voice and Helen's is uncanny. This is despite the fact that this modern-day version has, to me at least, got a harder edge to it, which is what makes it so good.

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Shania Twain's "You've Got A Way", from the album "Come On Over" and the soundtrack for "Notting HiIl" is simply divine, as are all Helen's own ballads, especially "Just Keep Dreaming".