OBSERVER MUSIC MONTHLY **** 4/5 STARS Sunday May 18th 2008
Joan as Police Woman - To Survive (Reveal)
4 stars ****
Compared to the shambling charm of Britain's pop chanteuses, North American singer-songwriters just sound so damn mature and musically accomplished. There's Regina and Martha and Feist, furrowed brows underneath heavy fringes, conjuring up intricate, subtle harmonies from pianos and guitars while being clever and meaningful.
Former Antony and the Johnsons violinist Joan Wasser is shyer than her contemporaries, hiding behind a funny band name and, on her debut album, Real Life, a Mr Ben-like wardrobe of different musical styles. She couldn't hide her incredibly beautiful voice and soulfulness, though, which made Real Life one of the best albums of 2006. Perhaps emboldened by such positive reactions, Wasser has stripped away the whimsy and playful punkishness on this follow-up . It's much darker, more contemplative territory; the songs are like intimate nocturnes located somewhere between classical and soul. Maybe this is what Chopin would have sounded like had he been a modern-day multi-instrumentalist with a passion for Al Green and a voice like Roberta Flack. Either way, for all her heartfelt mediations on grief, loneliness and desire, Wasser doesn't indulge in gratuitous soul-baring.
Bernadette McNulty
Album Description
Joan As Police Woman's debut album, Real Life, was universally acclaimed. Two years since this critical and commercial success comes the much anticipated follow-up, To Survive. Songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist, Joan has bewitched fans across Europe and the US over the last two years and is set to garner a wealth of new devotees with To Survive.
An album of unashamedly heartfelt songs, in Joan's words, "I am always trying to dig deeper into the emotional experience. I want to access the most honest place I can, distill it and present it in a way that makes sense musically." Joan As Police Woman is: Joan Wasser (vocals, guitar, piano, violin), Rainy Orteca (bass), Parker Kindred (drums).