Radcliffe Wrote:
discostu Wrote:
Critics have noted that it's somewhat of a full circle album, which I can partly see, but I think it shows how she's evolved. It's a mature record in that her typical deeply emotional introspection has a "lived-in" quality rather than being newly raw. She seems generally more self-assured.
I agree with all of that and like the album, but I still can't help but be a bit disappointed.
The Greatest was such a leap forward, and the way she followed that up with a couple years of covers of indisputably great songs, suggested to me she was going to put all those lessons together when she got back to original material. In a way I guess she did, but this still feels like the album that could have come after
You Are Free, so it's either "full circle" or a step in reverse, depending on your perspective on such things.
I picked it up last Monday during a Labor Day record store run at Decatur CD. I've gone through it twice now and feel pretty similar. I felt a little wary initially with the electronic elements but she still manages to maintain that Dusty Springfield by way of PJ Harvey vibe throughout. It's an interesting direction. It would've been stale had she kept doing covers. Still, some of the lyrics have been a little off putting. "3,6,9" for example. Just comes off a bit corny for me.
Her records are always such a slow burn though so I'll reserve full judgement until I've spent more time with it.
Early impression though: B-
