This charming album allows the wonderful warm vocals of Samantha Barks to ring out with plenty of style. 

The self-titled debut album from Samantha Barks is exactly what you would expect from her: sweet, gentle and plays to her strengths. It also has a wonderful country music vibe about it that adds a bit of quirkiness and playfulness to the album.

It is also a surprising album as it would normally be expected for Barks to release an album filled with songs from musicals. But while there are a few that fit in perfectly with the tone and style of the album, it is primarily a record filled with original tracks.

The first single to be taken from the album ‘Troublemaker’ is uplifting and positive, but with a poetic feel to it through the lyrics – which sums up the album as a whole. There is a lovely warm sweetness to her vocals that has you paying attention from the very first note.

There is a lovely arrangement of ‘On my Own’, taken from Les Miserables and sung by Barks in the 2012 film with heartfelt emotion as it is here. The arrangements for other familiar songs such as ‘One Day I’ll Fly Away’ and ‘As Long As He Needs Me’ are equally strong, with plenty of style that allows Barks to put her own personality on.

It is a simple but cool record that flows from one song to the next with ease that time passes quickly when listening to it.

Some might find that the album is slightly too laid back for their tastes and it would be lovely to hear a few more upbeat tunes to add a bit more variety and depth, but overall this is a very strong debut album.

The album is available to buy and download now through Amazon.