Seconds

Kate Rogers first came to our attention on Aim's fantastic 'The Girl Who Fell Through The Ice', though we're more than familiar with her now thanks to her Grand Central Records debut, the touchingly beautiful and vastly under-rated 'St. Eustacia' album.

Following on from that release, Rogers drops 'Seconds', a sparse collection of covers, stripped, re-considered and delivered with minimal fuss but maximum grace and skill. 'Seconds' is not just any old collection of covers though, no!

You'll find tracks from the likes of The Smiths, Pixies, Neil Young, Green Day, Blink 182 and Radiohead, as well as versions of Aim's 'Sail' [from his classic 'Cold Water Music' album] and Kate's own 'Nothing Appeals To Me Here', from 'St Eustacia'.

'Seconds' is so stripped back it's a lesson in restraint and also in choosing carefully and interpreting wisely: Blink 182's 'Miss You' has been turned into a woozy torch song, which works wonderfully well, proving Kate's onto a good thing here. Other tracks have the same laidback, cruisy vibe, with Kate often accompanied by little more than an acoustic guitar or two and a double bass.

Kate has managed to build a solo career from stealing the show on others' releases so it seems somehow appropriate this album is so compelling. After all, her clean, clear voice effortlessly transforms any track she works on into a little slice of wonder.