‘Betts-Dean and Soukaras are known for their versatility and eclecticism, and the range of styles and genres here is diverse to say the least.

Throughout, Soukaras is a generous and sensitive accompanist; however, his full range as a guitarist is best appreciated in the too few solos here, such as Vicente Asencio's La calma or Jorge Cardoso's Milonga. ... 'Everything You've Ever Lived' is everything you've ever wanted in a voice-and-guitar recital: a varied and imaginative programme impeccably realised by two prodigiously talented young artists.’

‘Betts-Dean’s lyrical mezzo floats wistfully above the texture. With a rich lower range and a more reedy upper register, her voice pairs nicely with the more carefree works… This is aided by an intimate, live-feeling recorded quality from Delphian.

The album segues fairly seamlessly into songs by Ravel and Debussy, with Betts-Dean’s woody vocals tightened up but kept in a similarly dreamy sound world.

‘If you’re yet to discover Betts-Dean’s wide, powerful and pure, otherworldly voice with its tremendous range, you couldn’t hope for a more multi-faceted introduction, from the ethereal punch and sensuality she brings to the aforementioned ‘Canto de Ossanha’; to her wide warmth and depth in Caroline Polacheck’s ‘Go as a Dream’, and ethereal treble registers in Debussy’s ‘Les Angélus’.

Soukaras’s technique and colouristic paintbox is equally diverse, between but also within individual pieces...’

Charlotte Gardner

Read the full review here.

‘Betts-Dean's voice, no matter the subject she is singing about, is wonderfully seductive and beautifully smooth and partnered by Soukaras' stunning guitar playing. That at least ten of the tracks on the disc are his own arrangements must be to his credit in creating the sense of coherence and flow...The recording itself is something of a bit of magic too. Soukaras' guitar is recorded with plenty of crunch detail yet with air around the sound which matches Betts-Dean's voice where her seductive, smooth and silky quality is given a positive aura around it. The result is to make the disc a complete package.’

Planet Hugill

Read the full review here.