As a woman who writes, records and produces her own music, Paula Wolfe will be slotted into the category of female singer songwriter but her work in the studio and on stage serve to challenge the restrictive stereotyping often associated with the label.

From early on in her career, Paula's work has been seen as possessing, 'that all too rare quality of being able to command your attention to the point of dropping everything else... a phenomenal talent.' (peoplesound.com).

As a writer, a stark realism has emerged from the themes and characters in her songs. Drawn to those living on the fringes, her EP, Find and debut album, Staring introduced us to protagonists such as the Russian prostitutes working the hotels in Crete; joyriders and bored kids on the street corners of estates in the unfashionable quarters of Manchester; the bored and neglected young girl waiting for life to start, and faces, hardened by too much struggling and too much drinking watching the brash and the confident pass them by without a second glance.

Her first two releases showed her to be a producer of 'intelligent, literate lyrics' (musicOMH) in which she also sings about love with a tenderness and idealism that take her narrators far above what can be a harsh reality. They have marked her out as 'sharp and observant' (Arts Council) and ' a rare and exceptional talent' (Dripfed Magazine).

She is no less observant in her new album, Lemon, where we meet a new array of characters and just as in her debut, this second album sees Wolfe ‘weaving engaging stories’ (Uncut). They tell us about the immigrant mother trying to start a new life in a community where neither she nor her children are accepted; the strange world of second home buyers in the gated English communities of southern Spain; the old woman facing life alone after losing her partner and more tales of troubled love. As ever, though, splashes of hope and outbursts of optimism are never far away. We hear of the young couple building a new life together in rural France and of the woman taking a solitary walk on New Year's Eve, hoping for better times for herself and her lover as the days slowly start to draw out towards spring.

Once again, then, Wolfe has created a collection of ‘stunning miniature dramas and stories’ (Maverick) which entice you in. As one critic observes, ’Not quite belonging but caught up in its momentum be it a place, a person, a feeling. Paula Wolfe seems to capture that emotion and turn it into a narrative and ultimately a song. She’s got a knack for hitting the mark on both sides of the desk.’ (Fatea Magazine).

Paula Wolfe's musical journey the last few years might best be summed up by Mojo music critic Lucy O'Brien, when she says, ‘ Paula Wolfe's 2004 debut Staring had promise, her follow up's in a different league. Lemon is a mood-shifting, musically inventive piece of work, each song a slowly evolving story.’

Self produced and released on her own label, Lemon has received an overwhelming response from music critics in which the range of her talents has garnered wide spread praise. She is described as, ‘a splendid songwriter’ (Uncut), her lyrics are seen as ‘exceptional’, her voice, ‘gorgeous’ (Maverick) and her production skills, ‘stunning’ (New-Noise.net).

It is this intelligent balancing of lyrical theme and musical form, that has earned her personal praise from the Head of Music at BBC Radio 2 and 6Music and the type of accolade expressed by one critic who declares the album, ‘A flawless exercise in modern art, that boasts enough melody to make this as warm and approachable as possible, whilst being unafraid to extend an olive branch to the musos; stunning.’ (New-noise.net).

Wolfe’s debut marked her out as an artist who 'could be a major talent' (musicOMH). There is no doubt now that Lemon announces Paula Wolfe to be ‘a formidable talent’ (Netrhythms.net) and in the words of Mojo, ‘This is the album that finally puts Wolfe on the map.’ * * * *

Dublin born, raised in London, "musically bloodied in Manchester", as aptly put by a critic, Paula left the north after finishing her debut album and relocated to rural Norfolk to build a studio to start recording Lemon. In an age where producers get as much press coverage as the musicians they produce, a prominent female journalist recently asked, "Where are all the female producers?" Well, perhaps like Paula, many of them are in their own studios, quietly honing their skills. ' A room of one's own' has become ' a studio of one's own' and the work Paula is producing in hers is most definitely marking her out as ' a rising talent ' (Time Out).