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Crap. I honestly didn't want to like this.
I loved Annie Hayden back during her days as the vocalist/guitarist of Spent. But then word on the street got around that a certain Ms. Hayden is bitchy to fanzine writers! And, as such, my feelings towards her soured considerably, and when she released her debut solo album, The Rub, back in 2001, I quickly turned my fanzine-writer-nose up at it...
But here it is, 2005, and in my old age, I've softened up enough to give her latest solo album a spin...and in the first track, "Cara Mia", she sings about "cats on pianos" in a very girlish Mary Lou Lord-ish voice. Damn you, Annie, damn you, 'cause after that I was sucked into the whole album, and it's all really sweet and girly and pretty. Damn, I like this.
The piano-led/brushed-drums track "Your Carnival" is so sweet (turns out, Annie's day job is as a piano technician at Steinway Hall! who knew?! you can hear more of her piano expertise on the instrumental track uncreativitly-titled "Piano"). The over-dubbed vocals on "Boos" will remind you of the sweet harmonies of the girls from The Softies, and then the simple vocal track on the moody "Wait for Returns" sounds so much like Carol from Bettie Serveert (incidentally, this is my fave track on the whole CD). "Weather" gets a little bit country, with some slide guitar, but then she gets a little bit rock n' roll with a girly cover of The Replacements' "Swingin' Party"!
So, dang, it's good. But if I ever meet Annie and she's mean to me, I can't say I'll give her third solo album a listen! (janice.12.05)
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