Teddington singer-songwriter Liz Arcane recently released her new seven-track album Honest Soul, which explores the relatable complexities of life, love and lust.

The album, which consists of seven songs all written by Arcane, is a testament to her talent, blemishing a mix of soul and soft rock, a mix which sweetly accompanies her distinctive voice and Fleetwood Mac-style harmonies.

The seven-track album focuses on "lovingly honest responses to the challenges we all face in our lives, particularly in terms of love, lust and living in the moment", said Arcane. 

Five singles have been released over the year, all of which appear on the album and in some cases, in the extended editions.

Two exclusive bonus tracks, 'Sing until the Sun Sets' and 'Play With Fire' will appear on the digital download and CD, which won't appear on streaming services.

Speaking about the album, Arcane said: "I wrote the album Honest Soul after a time in my life when I decided it was time to start getting honest with myself, and I hope the lyrics reflect that.

"Musically the album is hugely inspired by 70s rock/pop bands and soul."

Arcane is a London-based singer-songwriter who has a wealth of performance experience and a repertoire of original songs.

Her voice is deep and raw, making it immensely recognisable.

Liz Arcane is a singer-songwriter from Teddington (Credit: Liz Arcane)

Consciously rooted in the sounds of the 70s, the songs on the album take listeners on a journey, interchanging between some slow songs and some more upbeat ones, and the lyrics behind each song clearly reflect real-life moments and experiences of Arcane's life.

For me personally, the lyrics behind many of the songs on the album relate to my own experiences of life and love, but the song that resonates with me most is 'Slow Down'.

'Slow Down', the second song on Honest Soul, explores the complexities of pace when entering romantic relationships.

In the song, Arcane sings about the possibility of taking things slow with her romantic interest despite having strong feelings for him and wanting to rush into a relationship; an experience which I, and I'm sure many others, can relate to.

What I love most about the song is that it shows Arcane taking a moment to stop and think whether she should pursue her current relationship further and whether "slowing down" will be beneficial.

This bluesy song even encouraged me to slow down and contemplate my own relationships and coming after 'Easy Love' in the album's chronology which is about the ever-so-relatable "honeymoon period" at the start of any relationship, follows Arcane's journey with her romantic subject chronologically.

Other songs on the album about love include the 5^th song, 'Sweet Connection', in which Arcane questions whether she's wasting time finding out whether she's found a long-awaited "sweet connection" with her romantic interest.

While the song juxtaposes Arcane's decision to take things slow in her relationship in 'Slow Down', such a juxtaposition highlights the relatable emotional journeys we all have in romantic relationships, questioning whether she should follow her head and slow down or follow her heart and dive right into the relationship.

For me, the songs on Honest Soul, following their chronology, could embody the days of the week, with the first song representing a Tuesday afternoon and the sixth song, 'Sing Until The Sun Sets' reminding me of a chill Sunday evening.

The honesty in her lyrics is evident, making her music both relatable and deeply moving – I can see why she named the album Honest Soul.

In conclusion, I can only thank and applaud Arcane for being so vulnerable in her music and offering listeners time to reflect on their own life journeys while enjoying the catchy tempos of each song.

To celebrate the release of her album, Arcane is holding an event at 2pm on 29 September at the Thames Side Brewery in Staines.

Find out more about the event here.