Rating: NNN
Even before even putting the disc in my player, I’m a bit turned off by the liner notes for Simon Wilcox’s Smart Function disc. They’re written in that crooked, cutesy scrawl that is almost impossible to read and there’s a link to a web site (www.prostitutionresearch.com) that paints a simplistic picture of all women in the sex industry. Wilcox, however, has a lovely voice, and her lyrics are charmingly poetic and introspective. The tunes are pop rock with elements of jazz, blues and R&B. Some, like the groovy Mommies And Daddies, are quite catchy. Wilcox started her own label to release Smart Function, inspired I believe, by Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe. Smart Function, it occurs to me, is like adult contemporary Ani lite.
Simon Wilcox plays the Drake Tuesday (May 4).
