The debut album ‘Butterfly Kisses Squeeze my Mind’ from Bethesda based singer/ songwriter Stacey Cohen is nothing short of genius (in my humble opinion). Recorded in 3 locations including Nant Y Benglog in North Wales and Punta Carretas, Uruguay, this album’s potential is as wide as the geographical locations it spans.

Produced by none other than the legendary John Lawrence, Butterfly Kisses sees Stacey collaborate with a who’s who of North Wales finest artists including the Rice Hooligan Orchestra’s Jez Shea and Bandabacana’s LouLou Edwards & Emma Black (to name a few).

What immediately strikes you about this album is its maturity and the strength of the lyrics. From the totally hilarious ‘Your Caravan’, a tongue-in-cheek story of lust, thongs and saucepans, to the emotional conflict that engulfs the character in ‘My Darling Love’, Stacey tells stories with a deftness that many established artists still lack. ‘Real Creature’ is a loud, in-your-face-proud-to-be-female track that every woman should be singing from the rooftops, while the infectious ‘Fine Times’ is bound to be blasting from everybody’s stereo this summer.

Stacey shows her depth of character with the achingly beautiful ‘Band of Water’ that looks at the environmental impact of gold-mining, and ‘Count this One’ pulls at the heart with a haunting sound that you just can’t escape (as if you’d want to).

This first album from Stacey has pushed the benchmark high for other solo female artists. She’s a talented musician who deserves to receive a wealth of acclaim for creating this engaging piece of work that stays with the listener long after the album’s finished playing. The only thing that tops this is seeing Stacey perform - it’s most definitely worth the effort to get out and see her live set!

Stacey’s album launch is at the Blue Sky Café, Bangor on Friday 1st May.