Announced as a nominee for BBC’s Sound of 2011, this English indie rock chick serves up her self-titled debut to critical acclaim. What’s the fuss we ask?
If judging by this album cover many may expect Anna Calvi to be in the company of someone like Jessie J, but you couldn’t be more wrong. This is totally unrelated and superior in almost every way. Having never heard of her, Anna’s self-titled album is an absolutely welcome breath of fresh air. The opening sleazy Blues guitar instrumental sets the scene for a very fulfilling listening experience. Her vocals can be subtle and fragile or powerfully commanding, her musical prowess also including guitar, piano, bass, violin and organ. With moods that could easily place some of her songs in a David Lynch film, the dark and sexy feel also diverts into more rock oriented territory, the album’s defiance to stick to one single style simply making it that much more enjoyable.
This album can very easily be started from the beginning all over again as soon as the last track finishes.
An amazing match would be a live double bill of Anna Calvi and Nick Cave (which I discovered indeed happened with her supporting his Grinderman project!).
If you’re suffering from PJ Harvey cold turkey, Anna Calvi will more than suffice as your fix (it’s no surprise then that most of the tracks were co-produced by Harvey collaborator Rob Ellis).
Rating : 5 / 5 – Demi-God
Reviewed By : - Paul Blom
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