If there’s a girl’s voice I could die for it’s definitely the 25-year-old American, Alison Sudol’s! The full gamut of emotions are covered on this album ranging from deliriously happy on Blown Away to heart wrenchingly exposed on The Beacon. Whatever mood the song takes though, her voice is always wonderfully melodic.
Bomb in a Birdcage is the second offering from A Fine Frenzy and like the first, One Cell in the Sea, this is a must buy. Gone though is much of the innocence of the first album and in its place there is a much more assured and confident artist. You can sense this almost from the album cover, where Alison’s new image is sophisticated, almost sassy.
Like many a great artist there’s indications already that Alison will not want to be typecast. If the first album was more folk, this is probably more pop, but whatever you might think you can’t get away from the fact that this girl can certainly write insightful lyrics and a great song. The new ground is evident in tracks like New Heights, Electric Twist, World Without and Stood Up, (Electric Twist would make a great single!) but in case any of the fans of the first album are put off there is still a whole clutch of hugely beautiful, simple, poetic songs like Happier, Swan Song, Elements and Bird of the Summer.
The sound is more electric/ electronic than the first album but the use of different instruments is as before very varied. Piano, guitar, strings, percussion and even a flute are used to add colour and depth.
Above all else though this is a vehicle for Alison’s biggest asset. The competition amongst female artists is very keen at present but if you want to listen to a voice that effortlessly flows across several different styles in truly pleasing fashion then give A Fine Frenzy a try.
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