While not the finished product yet, Alessi Laurent-Marke shows here that her songwriting talents and storytelling are wise beyond her years.
Her first two albums planted the seeds of talent, but The Still Life is the record on which she's finally starting to bloom.
In total, The Still Life is a spry and rewarding sonic balm that doesn’t outstay its welcome.
Ark’s sonic palette has broadened to encompass both ethnic instruments and contemporary sound effects. Still, Ark’s songs are concise, straight pitches.
It’s definitely a progression from her last album into a more profound and polished sound.
For all too many, however, The Still Life is just too pedestrian and unmemorable to truly recommend in the crowded field of talented singer-songwriters.