Dandelion: Becky Mills

And ‘Dandelion’ is exactly that type of album - and so much more.

Becky Mills is a popular figure in Calderdale due to her work as one quarter of much missed Leeds-based band Waking The Witch.

Championed by, among others, former Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and Albion Band bass guitarist Ashley Hutchings - who contributed to three tracks on the album - she has built a reputation as a quality artist whose work demands not just to be heard but to be LISTENED to.

‘Dandelion’ showcases Becky’s talents perfectly. A supremely gifted singer-songwriter, storyteller, musician, poet, realist and dreamer; the album makes for a potent mix that grabs you from the opening bars of the sublime, ‘Amy Sharpe’ and doesn’t let go until the closing notes of final track ‘Monkey’.

The musicianship and arrangements over 10 finely-crafted songs, a couple of which have been a staple of Becky’s live act for some time (‘Pretty Young Things’ and ‘Princess and the Pea’), are beautifully textured.

It is impossible to pick out a highlight as every track is a delight. Rockabilly, Country and Folk influences are woven into the fabric, revealing tales as diverse as the plight of Huddersfield prostitutes and a family trip to the seaside.

This is a confident piece of work by somebody totally at one with their music. Becky Mills may well have written the album of her life. however, I personally feel there is still more to come from this particular Yorkshire lass.