This weeks singer / songwriter is the Israeli Keren Ann with her self-titled and, surprisingly, fifth solo album. Flying under the radar until this release, her previous albums have all been well respected whilst receiving limited releases in both Europe and the United States. With the current love of all things sensitive and heart-felt, perhaps this album will propel her to greatness.

The album starts well with the opening threesome of It’s All A Lie, Lay Your Head Down and In Your Back. The first track gently rumbles and aches through it’s five minutes. It sounds like something waking from a deep sleep, the track unfurls through fuzzy guitars, gentle Hammond organ and Ann’s croaking vocals. It’s very reminiscent of Nico. Next up is something a little more straight-forward. Lay Your Head Down has a touch of the Velvet Underground in its chugging guitars and drums. It’s only the strings and lyrics that make this sound like something that would find itself on an ITV family drama as she sings the refrain of “Lay your head down in my arms”. The final song of this welcoming introduction quietly revolves around a simple guitar and haunting keyboards and piano. Telling the tale of heart break and rejection, it’s affecting through Ann’s broken vocals. Her voice seems to channel the hurt in her melancholy whisper. However, the rest of the album slips away into a much more traditional affair and becomes quite boring. There’s only so much quiet guitar that one can take. The slow paced chords and her sweet vocals can do nothing but lull you to sleep. The twisted guitar of It Ain’t No Crime is the only thing to wake you from this. The beating drums and thumping guitars seem rather out of place, but it’s a welcome change in pace.

It comes as no surprise to learn that some of Ann’s songs have appeared on Grey’s Anatomy and Six Feet Under. These are huge American shows that deal in this sort of adult-orientated-emo music. Being marketed as “If you buy this it proves you have feelings” it will no doubt find itself on the shelves of Tesco before you know it. There are songs here that hint that she’s capable of much more than this, but it’s just a shame that their buried under a slab of monotonous melancholy.
60%

Links
Keren Ann [official site] [myspace]