Paige Wolfe’s ‘Why Can’t My Heart’ out now!

Welsh singer-songwriter Paige Wolfe has started how she means to go on. She has dug deep into her soul to co-produce her first release, ‘Why Can’t My Heart?’. Borne out of personal experience of domestic abuse, Wolfe acknowledges the part played by Millie Bloom in “digging right down to the furthest root, pulling it out, untangling it, and making a beautiful piece of art”. The result is not just that, but also an articulate expression of an often-taboo subject; a sincere telling of an emotionally-complex moment in which the heart grapples with its own deceit. The song dances on the edges of RnB while being firmly rooted in the acoustic guitar of Country. This allows the lyrics to gain an intensity without losing the earnestness of Paige’s quavering voice.

There are touches of Maren Morris, Dua Lipa and Louise Parker on a track that strives for honesty in both strength and brokenness, conveying a merry-go-round of emotion captured most acutely in the repetition of the bridge: “Why can’t my heart just give it a rest? I need my heart to give it a rest”. Despite the tangled nature of her situation here, there is a thread of hope that runs through the song. ‘Why Can’t My Heart?’ becomes as much a reflection as it is a representation, Paige giving voice to her feelings at the same time as finding freedom beyond them. Her raw and mature songwriting is to be much admired. As far as debut singles go, they don’t come much better than this.

Review written by Gareth Williams (twitter.com/lostinbluejazz1)