The title track, piano-led, with a folksy acoustic guitar, leaves enough room to showcase MARTHA BERNER'S oddly endearing vocal, and when the squealing harmonica arrives on a wave of demented strings, it all seems to make sense somehow. The burning alt. country feel....well, Dylan would have nodded his approval!
However, the speeded-up shuffle cover of the Velvets' 'Sunday Morning' suffers under the same treatment, and sounds almost tongue-in-cheek. The up-tempo rendition is a definite no-no to my ears, though I guess that all depends on your affection for the music of Reed/Cale.
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The final track was the one that grabbed me, predictably for its shoulders-shrugged Northern stomp. 'Wait For Me is dominated by an infectious beat, and a cacophony in brass, the end result a fine platform for her idiosyncratic voice, just mainstream enough to make the playlists.
Undeniable vocal talent, fused with country sensibilities, there is more than a nod to the conventional about this E.P. It's euphonious enough, but ultimately unchallenging.
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