So the rather elusive and yet almost omnipresent Joan Wasser returns with her second full length long player as Joan As Police Woman. Scour any self-respecting music fan’s shelf and undoubtedly Joan’s work will be there in some form or another - from Rufus Wainwright to Sheryl Crow, she’s worked with some of music’s finest. (Apart from the Scissor Sisters, but we’ll not mention them).To Survive is again a display of the woman’s incredible talent. Perhaps less flamboyant and ostentatious than some artists she’s worked with, it seems Joan’s own music is delicate, soft, and although I’m loathe to used it, could almost be classed as the ‘chill out’ genre.Current single ‘To Be Loved’ is certainly radio friendly, with its soft piano, gentle guitar chords and lullaby-esque vocals. It’s not all radio fodder though, To Survive also sees Joan’s musical ideas not subjected to any restrictions, and allowed to ramble freely, as perfectly demonstrated by ‘To Be Lonely’. It begins with a, probably improvised, piano part, which then gives way to a simply sung tune, and the whole piece feels as though its performed in free time. It could, of course, have been carefully written and timed to sound like that, but it seems far more organic and, put simply, off the cuff.The ambience and atmosphere this album creates almost rivals that of Joni Mitchell’s Blue ”“ warm evenings, smoky air, and undoubtedly a glass of red wine. The tracks predominantly feature piano accompaniment, and the occasional inclusion of brass gives a jazz club feel, rather than the horrific ‘Ronson-effect’.An album about love and loss, Joan stays away from the more obvious Alanis Morrisette’s Jagged Little Pill display of a woman scorned, and instead relies on lyrics and subtlety to deliver the message. The low bass tones and piano flourishes on ‘Furious’ convey anger in a dramatic but not melo-dramatic way.‘State of my Heart’ illustrates the versatility of this album ”“ pianos are replaced with synths and slide guitars for an ethereal sound.The ultimate star of To Survive is simply Joan’s voice. Always consistent, her smooth and warm tones bring quality to any track, and her ability to switch between almost breaking high notes and strong bass tones displays a range other female singers can only dream of.Simple and understated, Joan makes no attempt to upstage or better any of her colleagues, or to be flashy and showy, which, with her talent, she could easily do. Instead, To Survive is low-key affair which allows the talent to speak for itself. 85%Links Joan as a Policewoman [official site] [myspace]