Deborah Conway: Juice Magazine
Deborah Conway - "Exquisite Stereo" (Shock) - Rating: 7 (out of 10)
Deborah Conway could be wondering where all the rockstars have gone, as a larger than life personality still making records that are as aptly described as 'contemporary' as 'adult' or 'mature' in an environment dominated by the 'indie' underground. And likewise, her public could be forgiven for wondering if she'd just disappeared herself, as she spent time on the Ultrasound project, and then took a while between contracts to come up with this album. It's been worth the wait, this time a more organic and progressive work than any memories of "Today I Am A Daisy" could possibly promise.This comes thanks in no little part to the dynamic provided by the rhythm section of her new band, City of Women (bassist Edward Ammendola and drummer Dave Williams moonlighting from their work with Augie March). That's evident from their first appearance on the record, as opener "Interzone" makes its way slowly from a piano-based art piece to a strident Radiohead-esque epic. Between Conway's still-fiery voice, the musicianship of partner and co-writer Willy Zygier, and the sampling skills of Cameron Reynolds, there are all the tools necessary for a great album. And [all the] while Conway chooses to make few obvious references within the styles she chooses here.
"So Sweet" backs Conway's singing style with sublime trip hop horn swells, an off kilter guitar riff, and a groove much more subtle than that of its Portishead antecedents; "The Freeway is Falling" the same live sounding dub feel; the acoustic love song "You Come To Earth" makes a subtle highlight with its cleverly schmaltzy outro; and the band gets into a full tilt Stone Gossard/Frank Black style guitar rock workout on "I Lay My Head Down On My Pillow and Cried All Night" (you'd swear Joe Santiego is playing the buzzing second guitar line).
Samples and chemical bleeps are placed over cellos, a pop arrangement is pumped through a blender of the title track -- a highlight featuring a chorus from Neil Finn -- and likewise, the outro, "Dust to Dust", is a worthy conglomerate of styles, echoes of Do Re Mi's old 80s discordance up against sampled strings and a push-me, pull-you drum groove.
Conway's new album shows a bower bird mentality, surely, and this remains adult and mature -- not exactly watchwords when it comes to great rock -- but it works.
- Simon Wooldridge.
added Monday, 23 August, 2004
