At just 15 years old, Imogen Spendlove has exceeded expectations with her beautifully refined vocals, which are raw and filled with passion as she tells a love story that transports us throughout the different ages of discovery in a young woman’s life. As we are swept into the different stages of love that this young woman has endured, we learn more about the way she has evolved and changed into the person she is today.
At the beginning of her cabaret show, Imogen’s vocals are high-pitched and laced with an aching sadness, and her guitarist/backing singer adds depth and complements her vocals with his own lower-pitched one. Imogen’s second song consists of a beautiful duet with her backing singer, which is layered with tender acoustics and soft keyboard sounds.
As she moves into her third song, she plays the part of a woman who hasn’t been able to sleep since the first night she fell in love with a married man, although they are now apart. She constantly refers to the ‘plain gold ring on his finger’ and her facial expressions are pained and filled with emotion to match the tone of the music and lyrics. Imogen’s next song is quite prominent; she has composed her own version of Beyonce’s Crazy in Love, which is slower but paired with seductive acoustics and keyboard sounds to spice it up.
Imogen effectively portrays a conflicted woman who is fighting for her man but wants to let him go at the same time. She sings “I’m afraid I never loved him, sweetie he’d be better off with you”, while the keyboardist plays an endearing melody that fuses the song with even more emotion.
She then becomes an 18-year-old girl who sits on her chair back to front and belts out a seductive combo while the guitarists spice up their acoustics with a fun boppy composition. According to Imogen, this girl has big ambitions. We are instantly reminded of our 18-year-old selves who thought the sky was the limit.
Imogen then reveals her more maternal side as she sits in a rocking chair and holds a silky white shawl, which looks like she’s cradling a baby in her arms. She sings lovingly to it, while the cello being played in the background adds a dark touch to the tale.
We then get to witness Imogen play an eight-year-old girl, who makes us all laugh with her persistence to get the same sparkly shoes as her friend before she breaks into song. We watch as Imogen portrays a 16-year-old woman who falls in love, as she sings “I was just a girl but never have I loved since then…” Imogen then plays a 68-year-old woman who repeats something similar to what she had said beforehand: “everything fades, everything changes and nothing changes”, which appears to be a recurring theme within the show. As she sings her final song, the guitarist hums in the background and sings with her in some parts. The lyricism relates to another theme within the storyline, which is letting go of those you love and moving on: “you will walk in good company, I loved the best in you, you loved the best in me, though it’s not always easy”.
Overall, Lost In Love is a wonderful show to watch; Imogen’s vocal range is extensive and captivating, and I felt as though I was part of her story as she sang through all of the different stages in her life where she had encountered love and loss, joy and sadness
