Fiona Renshaw Love In A Bubble (Laws of Motion/Sirkus) Rating: NNN
Rating: NNN
Fiona Renshaw has one of those crazy, confusingly androgynous voices that only come along once in a while. At first it totally threw me. Chet Baker actually comes to mind, but Renshaw more embodies the qualities of an airier Nina Simone (don’t get me wrong – she’s not fit to drink Nina’s bathwater). She has a lovely voice and her tunes are soulful, tinged with indie folk and R&B, full of sadness and beautiful lilts. There’s not a lot of tempo variety, and the music itself sounds canned and overproduced. There are moments of undeniable cheesiness like when she begs Kiss Me Please, but it’s a first record and there’s plenty of room for growth. The best track is the cover of Gil Scott-Heron’s Home Is Where The Hatred Is.