Only just 30, Thea Gilmore is already something of a veteran with a remarkable eleven albums under her belt. 'Teach Me to be Bad' is spirited, assured and swings, Gilmore's distinctive vocals complimented by a solid, full-sounding production. It's good, even if the Sunday Times' suggestion that she's the female Springsteen' (although The Boss is known to be a fan of hers) is pushing it rather. She's hardly the voice of the every wo/man, and she doesn't have anything like the rough 'n' ready feel to her recordings that mark Springsteen's best. Still, her voice is good, and has a richness that's appealing and leads the song masterfully.
The tracks that accompany the lead track are rather less impressive, being much of a muchness, pleasant but safe folky acoustic singer-songwriterly numbers. 'Several Angels' would be pretty mediocre were it not for the delicate and affecting vocal delivery. But Gilmore's voice is of a rare quality, and definitely lifts the songs up above the mundane. It might not win her (m)any new converts, but will be sure to please her respectably-sized fan-base.
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Thea Gilmore on MySpace
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