Siobhan Parr - Repeat To Fade

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 26 / 1 / 2005

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Review

I was initially disappointed by this debut by 20 year old Siobhan Parr. For a start I assumed she was Irish and as the album was co-produced by John Reynolds (along with Alan Branch) I was expecting a sound along the lines of the sterling work he had done with Sinead O’Connor. I was looking for this sound so much in fact that when the first song, ‘Lose My Dress’ started the initial reaction was here we have yet another female singer/songwriter to add to the ever growing ranks of the female alt-country genre. Being a fan of that particular type of music even I am growing a little jaded of the amount of new additions being added by the minute. So after listening to the album a few times my attention was drawn elsewhere and I didn’t return to it for a while. It seems incredible now a month down the line as the CD is a regular fixture in the player. Hearing ‘Lose My Dress’ again was like hearing it for the first time, not the fourth. Where did that voice come from? And is Siobhan really only 20? Her voice has a power that is seldom heard in singers who are twice her age. As for the alt-country references yes they are there but are mixed up with a little blues and a hell of a lot more Southern soul. Tift Merritt’s album ‘Tambourine’ from last year gained a lot of attention as Merritt had mixed the alt-country sounds of her previous album ‘Bramble Rose’ with dashes of southern soul. If Siobhan’s album had the push that Lost Highway gave to ‘Tambourine’ this South Londoner's debut would be hailed by now as some sort of minor classic. Having toured and recorded with Grand Drive ( Julian Wilson lends his warm Hammond organ sounds to many of the songs here), chief Lemonhead Evan Dando, Alabama 3 and even Jimmy Cliff, Siobhan has spent a good few years honing her talents. Of the 12 songs on ‘Repeat To Fade’ only one is a cover version, a surprisingly effective live take on Tim Buckley’s ‘Buzzin’ Fly’. Proof that in these days when studio tricks can make a good job of almost anyone there are still some younger musicians/singers who deserve that description. Siobhan’s vocals accompanied by just her acoustic guitar actually turn the ‘Happy Sad’ song into one of her own. The alt-country sounds of ‘Another Love’ and ‘Hold Me’ are the road Janis Joplin might have successfully travelled if her life hadn’t been cut so short or, in keeping with a more contemporary and youthful comparison, Joss Stone, if she moved the goal posts just a little. Put ‘Ripped At The Seams Out’ out as a single with Stone’s name on the label and watch it make radio play lists and fly out of the shops. Being on a smaller label means Siobhan’s having to work a lot harder to get noticed than the likes of Stone; it would be good to see her get the recognition she deserves sooner rather than later. The vocals and lyrics of the ballad ‘The Joker’ belie Siobhan’s age. She sings it like she’s lived it, there’s nothing false about this girl. Taking a completely different stance, ‘Woman I Am’ again shows the power of that voice this time in a funkier setting than the rest of the album. That’s probably the reason the album didn’t register immediately with me. Although that voice never fails to impress perhaps the jump from one genre to another in such a short space makes the album feel disjointed on the first few listens. This is an album that needs and deserves to be listened to. Going from the R’n’B funk of ‘Woman I Am’ to the country soul of the heartbreaking ‘When The Night’ makes much more sense once the album has been heard a few times and all thoughts of Siobhan being just another female singer/songwriter to add to the list are gone. With a voice as strong and distinctive as Siobhan’s and with her obvious talent for composing equally strong songs it’s a safe bet to say we are going to hear a lot more from this gifted twenty year old. We can only hope that she is noticed by a larger audience before someone else jumps on the bandwagon and steals her thunder. For the moment she really is in a class of her own.

Track Listing:-

1 Lose My Dress
2 Too Much To Ask
3 Another Love
4 Any Other Way
5 Hold Me
6 Ripped At The Seams
7 The Joker
8 On The Move
9 Woman I Am
10 When The Night
11 Piece Of Me
12 Buzzin Fly (Repeat To Fade)

Label Links:-

http://irl.org.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/SpiritIRL