Tanya Donelly - Whisky Tango Ghosts

by Olga Sladeckova

published: 30 / 8 / 2004

Label: 4AD
Format: CD

Affirmative third solo album from former Breeders and Throwing Muses star, Tanya Donelly

Review

Former Breeder Tanya Donelly has just released her third solo album ‘Whiskey Tango Ghosts’ and it more than lives up to all previous high expectations. Tanya Donelly first started making music with her sister Kristin Hersh when they formed the Throwing Muses in 1982. The band was actually the first US signing to the 4AD label. In 1989 Donelly hooked up with the Pixies bassist Kim Deal and together with Josephine Wiggs from the Perfect Disaster they formed the Breeders. Donelly appeared on the band’s debut LP ‘Pod’, but after that left to form her own band Belly in 1991. Finally in 1997 Donelly switched from playing in bands to a solo career and since then she has released 3 solo albums ‘Pretty Deep,Goat Girl, Swoon’, ‘Storm, Night You Saved My Life, Moonbeam Monkey’ and now ‘ Whiskey Tango Ghosts’. The 12 track ‘Whiskey Tango Ghosts’ has a poignant character. Donelly opens the album in soft voice on the first track ‘Divine Sweet Divine’. The only accompanying instrument on the song is a piano which sounds similarly gentle. The lyrics, however, are more sour ( “I have lost something on the way and I can’t explain what you wouldn’t want to hear”). ‘Whiskey Tango’ is a bit more edgy. Guitars cut into the sound, creating a sharper shape. As the album progresses its tunes turn more towards country. On ‘Just In Case You Quit Me’ the country guitars remain a distinct presence in the background, while the piano steps in and out of the fore. The lyrics of the songs are often poetic (“When we were diving gold and pearling in the waves I pretended I was brave”). They all, however, take inspiration from real life which makes it easy to get close to the music. In ‘Butterfly Thing’ Donelly sings with her voice pitched high up, giving it a vulnerable quality against the slightly sad sound of the music. The album's last listed track is ‘Fallout’. Guitars slowly rock the song and Donelly’s voice sounds very innocent and in places slightly fragile. The song has a romantic feel to it. The album closes with one secret track. The song doesn’t have any music in it and is just stripped down to a few lines of lyrics. ‘Whiskey Tango Ghosts’ mainly stands out because of Donelly’s beautiful voice. The music, while it has an important part to play, never , however, takes the lead. ‘Whiskey Tango Ghosts’ is an album that will calm possibly the roughest of days and has a sensational quality.

Track Listing:-

1 Divine Sweet Divide
2 Every Devil
3 Whiskey Tango
4 Just In Case You Quit Me
5 Butterfly Thing
6 My Life As a Ghost
7 The Center
8 Golden Mean
9 The Promise
10 Story High
11 Fall Out
12 Dona Nobis Pacem