Kristin Hersh - Learn to Sing Like a Star

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 4 / 4 / 2007

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Review

‘Learn to Sing Like a Star’ is the latest offering from former Throwing Muses front woman Kristen Hersh, and it is a fine album. Her work is not for the faint hearted, but the songs sound gentler on record than when she performed them at the showcase gig for this record at the Soho Arts Theatre in London back in January. It kicks off with recent single, ‘In Shock’, which is a rocking number with some great orchestral backing and which fits in well with her harsh dry vocal patterns and the gritty-edged guitar which is also on display on this track. ‘Nerve Endings’ finds Kristen in fine voice. The guitar playing is excellent as usual, and she gives her all in the delivery of this song. ‘Day Glo’is edgy, hard hitting and very raw, while ‘Christian Hearse’ is a short, sharp instrumental pun on her name. ‘Ice’ is more laid back and reminiscent in its strings of Tindersticks, while ‘Under the Gun’ in contrast is more poppy with an almost spaghetti Western feel to it. ‘Piano 1’ is, as its title suggests, a soft short piano piece. ‘Sugar Baby’ meanwhile has some hard hitting guitar patterns that would normally break guitar strings, and a lovely song to assist it, while ‘Peggy Lee’ is an upbeat and bubbly, happy little number.. ‘Piano 2’ is another instrumental, but this time surprisingly is not performed on piano. ‘Vertigo’ is again upfront and poppy and ‘Winter’ features lots of Kristen’s trade mark harmonies. ‘Wild Vanilla’ falls somewhere between the Velvet Underground and Tindersticks, while LP closer, ‘The Thin Men’ returns to the jagged edge material that dominated the first part of the album and brings it to a strong close.

Track Listing:-

1 In Shock
2 Nerve Endings
3 DayGlo
4 Christian Hearse
5 Ice
6 Under the Gun
7 Piano 1
8 Sugarbaby
9 Peggy Lee
10 Piano 2
11 Vertigo
12 Winter
13 Wild Vanilla
14 The Thin Man

Band Links:-

https://www.kristinhersh.com/
https://www.facebook.com/strangeangels
https://twitter.com/kristinhersh

Label Links:-

http://www.4ad.com/
https://www.facebook.com/fourad/
https://twitter.com/4AD_Official
https://plus.google.com/explore/4AD

Have a Listen:-