Thea Gilmore - Murphy's Heart

  by Lisa Torem

published: 11 / 8 / 2010

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Review

First, the release of the single ‘You’re The Radio’ in mid-August, then comes the album, ‘Murphy’s Heart.’ Oxford-born singer-songwriter Thea Gilmore’s tenth album is packed with so much more than promise. Last year’s ‘Strange Communion’ took risks; a Yoko Ono Christmas cover plus an ode to a pagan sun god. But, Gilmore admits that this time she let her “guard drop a bit.” Gilmore resolved to “tear down the glass wall” and the remnants of those shattered shards immediately pull you in as soon as the album begins. Right off the bat, ‘This Town’ commences with tough, brassy strings. “Well, hello my little train wreck,” Gilmore wryly states and she goes on to dish: “Give me your heart and soul, boy, ‘cause you’re not gonna need it.” Gilmore’s voice assumes the frazzled intensity of a warning alarm, and then she chokes down a whisper. She adds that, “I almost want to show you mercy, but not quite,” and advises this ill-fated one that he’ll be a “cautionary tale.” Now, that we’re lost in her unbridled wanings, she hooks us in further. ‘God’s Got Nothing on You’ features her sonorous, melismatic undulations. “Call me patient, call me quiet/I don’t buy it,” Gilmore swigs. Her sharp, bruised writing is comparable to that of the feisty Rosanne Cash. But, her instrument really careens when navigating the angular stairway of ‘Due South.’ “I know a boy who breaks his own heart,” she confesses, while “looking for hope in stiletto heels.” ‘Love’s the Greatest Instrument’ is a ballad that begins with thunder claps of sound. Drenched in sorrowful strings, it pays ambient tribute to the crowded, intimacy of a local Irish pub. Gilmore’s themes never remain buried beneath the surface. Her tearful sonnet, ‘Automatic Blue’ which regales the struggle of a friend who met the love of his life, but way too late, is plaintive and genuinely performed. “Amen, amen, this one’s for you,” she sighs, as her protagonist remains hidden behind the glass. But, when she sings, “The only time you can see her is when you close your eyes,” we melt. ‘Coffee and Roses’ breaks through any emotional ice with arpeggios strummed with grace; this one erases any possible trace of smoke and mirrors and recalls the best of Tori Amos and her debut ‘Little Earthquakes’ as well as Joni Mitchell’s signature, ‘Blue.’ ‘You’re the Radio’ is Gilmore’s single and it’s merely one which could have conquered the air waves successfully. “I’m the ripcord you forgot to pull/I’m the drifter/you’re the place to go,” she acknowledges. This tune is, by far, the most commercial of the bunch. The exuberant ‘Teach me to be Bad’ is upbeat and unpredictable like Amos’ ‘The Happy Phantom.’ “Ooh, ain’t we got fun/Let’s get undone,” she coos. ‘Not Alone’ is another stirring accomplishment. “You should have known better/but she pressed up against you in her little red dress,” is explicit, but the gridlock of the chorus softens the judgment call. Like the unmistakable thrust of a boxer’s punch, these lyrics hit you between the eyes. ‘How the Love Gets In’ is piano-based splendour. This embracing hymn slowly moves, but quickly leaves an unmistakable impression. ‘Mexico’ tingles from the first note of the intro and continues with phrases of yearning: “Come a little closer so I can trace your eyes,” Gilmore urges. “Strange little blueprint/strange little secrets” is the sentiment which fills the sublime chorus. The last one, ‘Wondrous Thing’ with its early Beatles chord progression and crisp lyric: “a hopeless disguise hiding behind your eyes” wraps it all up. From start to finish, on ‘Murphy’s Heart,’ Gilmore solidifies her status as one of the most magnetic and quintessential contemporary storytellers and performers of this era.

Track Listing:-

1 This Town
2 God's Got Nothing On You
3 Due South
4 Jazz Hands
5 Love's The Greatest Instrument
6 Automatic Blue
7 Coffee And Roses
8 You're The Radio
9 Teach Me To Be Bad
10 Not Alone
11 How The Love Gets In
12 Mexico
13 Wondrous Thing
14 My Voice (Bonus Track)

Band Links:-

http://www.theagilmore.net/
https://www.facebook.com/theagilmoreof
https://twitter.com/theagilmore
https://www.instagram.com/theagilmore/
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheaGilmo