Because she released her promising 'Grey Will Fade' debut while she was still in Ash, many people probably thought CHARLOTTE HATHERLEY'S foray into the world of solo work was merely an experiment, albeit an intriguing one. This writer, for one, interviewed her on its' release and she was still playing down its' significance in terms of her future plans.
But she's no stranger to perseverance is our Charlotte and her sophomore effort (2007's cool 'The Deep Blue') showed she was right to rid herself of Ash's safety net, even if the potential drop may have seemed daunting at the time. It's a feeling that can only be re-inforced by her third album, 'New Worlds': surely her most confident and coherent record thus far and one which should open plenty of new doors for her.
From the word go, Hatherley's intuition has been sound in terms of her collaborators. 'Grey Will Fade' found her working with Captain Beefheart/ Pixies alumnus Eric Drew Feldman and PJ Harvey drummer Rob Ellis, while 'The Deep Blue' found her sharing an occasional co-writing credit with XTC'S Andy Partridge. 'New Worlds' again finds the redoubtable Ellis performing percussive miracles behind the kit, while the playful, live-ish sound is completed by keyboard player/ producer Luke Smith (ex-Clor and Depeche Mode production duties) and bassist Gary Kilminster.
The end results suggest Charlotte has got her dream combination just about bang on. The bonzer tune quotient is generous as are the oddball quirks, ensuring that potential massive hits like the new wave groove and luxuriously danceable chorus of 'White' snuggle up with the Alison Goldfrapp-fronts-the-Magic-Band abstraction of tracks like the fascinating 'Cinnabar'.
Elsewhere, Hartherley's writing session with Andy Partridge has clearly rubbed off on her. The jagged, full-pelt excitement of 'Little Sahara' (surely another single contender) has more than a little of the wide-eyed pop eccentricity XTC harnessed so brilliantly circa 'Drums & Wires' and 'Black Sea', while the mock-solemn balladry of 'Firebird' could almost have been scripted for XTC'S alter-egos, the wonderful Dukes of Stratosphere.
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Crucially, both the cerebrality and desire to rock unashamedly meet seamlessly at the best of times, ensuring that the riffs driving songs like 'Colours' and 'Straight Lines' would have pleased her former employers, while 'Cinnabar' or the vivid 'Alexander' are products of a blissful ethereality that's very much Charlotte's own invention. The title track is arguably even better, merging both worlds in a tremendous splurge of Art-Pop colour, while the closing 'Wrong Notes', featuring Adem on guitar and assorted electronic sundries, is stranger still, though its' eerie thrum sounds like a thing of true wonder once you've immersed yourself in its' shivery atmosphere for a while.
'New Worlds', then, is an apt title for Charlotte Hatherley's new opus. Instead of shackling itself with the chains of supposedly 'difficult' third album syndrome, it's a record happy to stretch and embrace the possibility of the future. Just the sort of attitude we need in these miserable, recessionary times.
(http://www.myspace.com/charlottehatherleyofficial
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