JUICE -
JUNE 2000 open
sesame review
talk
of writer's block and internal struggle have surrounded the long delay of this
album from leonardo's bride. the great white hope from sydney's glebe/harbourside
scene managed to come through with a hit in the sublime 'even when i'm sleeping'
thanks to the songwriting and arrangement skills of songwriter dean manning and
the dreamy presence of singer abby dobson. the song hit heights, the band toured
on it's back and then, it seemed, promptly disappeared under a weight of
creative pressure.
that was three years
ago and while what they've produced in the meantime isn't going to surprise
anyone in its style, it's been worth the wait. the first single 'sonic' is no
indicator of the rest of the songs here. a short and average guitar rock blast,
it may be the obvious upbeat hook, bit it leads off an album dominated by the
band's staples. it's acoustic, introspective, traditionally arranged and
augmented, and its emotional core is far from the burst that is the rock single.
with her talk of dark angels and pedestals, dobson seems preoccupied with fall
and redemption here. sometimes she finds an upside as on 'alaska' or 'begging
bowl'. but despite the full throated rasp of her voice, which is as strong as
ever, we get a glimpse of a character bruised and unsure. there's always
undercurrent optimism, but for every love song from a romantic heart [dreamship]
there's a counterpoint wordly line ['somewhere on the trail, i threw in my hand
for a heartful of holes' from 'blue gone green']. from the mushroom stable of
intelligent aor, this album is!
another highlight. but
in the pan! theon of comtempory pop, it's neither here nor there. [7/10
simon wooldridge .. |