SONGS from the heart are on the menu when Lou Rhodes, plus support act John Smith, play the Glee Club in Hurst Street, Birmingham, on Tuesday November 24. Rhodes shot to fame first as a member of trip-hop architects Lamb, and now as a lauded solo artist, taking a step back from the electronic intricacies of Lamb to embrace a folk music aesthetic that provides an intimate, unvarnished forum for her voice. She adds to her palate of finely tuned acoustic guitars and rich percussion with flowing double-bass work, exquisite string arrangements and other hand-played instruments that expand the depth of her songwriting. Still, the lynchpin remains Rhodes’ resplendent voice, and her incomparable ability to turn her soul inside out and bare it to the world, regardless of what maybe revealed. Originally from Manchester, Rhodes has been drawn to the magic and tranquility of the southwest for some time now. But the new surroundings have not only provided her with fresh inspiration; they’ve made the collaboration and recording processes much more focused affairs. Tickets cost £10.50/11.50 on 0871 472 0400 and the curtain goes up at 7.30pm. | 
