By RUSSELL BAILLIE
(Herald rating: * * * * )
And to end on a quieter note, this second album by English singer-songwriter Williams (see interview E3) is actually a year or two old but more than justifies its delayed local release.
While Williams' wispy voice suggests her nearest contemporary relation is Beth
Orton, song- and arrangement-wise she's both tastefully old-fashioned and intimate, relying on a backing of double bass, cello, occasional organ, acoustic guitar and the gentlest of drums.
Combine that with a line in emotional frankness in her lyrics and Williams' seemingly simple songs soon become strangely enchanting things, whether it's the disarming account of an on-the-rocks relationship We Dug a Hole, the Nick Drake-esque likes of Soul to Feet, or the bittersweet folk-pop prettiness of Each Star We See and Tell the Truth as if it Were Lies. A lovely album - and just the thing for post-Alanis trauma.
Label: East West/Warner
