Hannah in the Wars the musical vehicle of New Zealand born Hannah Curwood. Aided by a clutch of talented and intuitive musicians, this album reveals Hanna and her cohorts to be masters of delicately-poised orchestral pop. This eponymous debut emerged out of a challenging period.
Sometimes, context counts. Hannah says: “This album was written amidst a complex tapestry of events. A profound existential, spiritual and psychological crisis of a family member, terrifying, brutal and bewildering in intensity was accompanied by the agonising death knells and eventual shattering of a romantic relationship that had spanned many years, the deconstruction of a home.”
If it sounds heavy, then yes, the album possesses an emotional intensity, but it’s carried with a lightness of touch that renders it eminently listenable.
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Standout tracks like ‘Sweet Release’ and ‘Burning Through the Night’ demonstrate exactly what they’re capable of, as Hannah’s captivating vocal is lifted on a swell of strings that conveys a sense of drama without being remotely pompous or overdone. Elsewhere, darkly oblique songs like ‘Rear View Mirror Baby’ are reflective, crystalline pop. The arrangements are subtle and beautifully crafted, and Cure keyboardist Roger O’Donnell’s production balances intimacy with cinematic sweeps, and the end result is really rather special.
Hannah in the Wars Online
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