Tracey Thorn - Out Of The Woods (Virgin)
4/5
By: Michael Cragg
It's difficult to justify a musical comeback as successful as the one Tracey Thorn has crafted with 'Out Of The Woods'. Twenty-five long years since her solo debut, 'A Distant Shore', 'Out Of The Woods' appears fully formed, a gorgeous collection of dance-tinged folk lullabies that each frame her unique vocals in musical gold.
Tracey Thorn, the solo artist, may have been on sabbatical for the last quarter of a century, but her voice has been heard via Everything But The Girl (with her musician husband Ben Watt) and through guest appearances with Massive Attack ('Protection') and Deep Dish ('The Future Of The Future').
'Protection'- with its lush sonics and Thorn's bruised yet powerful vocals- is a good starting point in describing 'Out Of The Woods'. Having demoed these songs on a 4-track recorder using a myriad of old instruments found on eBay, Thorn handed the controls over to some of dance music's most forward-thinking producers. Seven of the eleven tracks are produced by remixer du jour Ewan Pearson, whose last task was to sprinkle his magic over The Rapture's 'Pieces Of The People We Love'. That band's sax player, Gabriel Andruzzi, crops up on the wonderful Arthur Russell cover, 'Get Around To It'.
Each of the eleven tracks here offers up a sonic surprise, be it the sparkling string and electronics opening to 'Falling Off A Log', which calls to mind 'Homogenic'-era Bjork, or the grand synth swashes that make up the brooding 'A-Z'. Opener 'Here It Comes' marries a harmonium to sweeping strings, Thorn singing in a higher register, simultaneously recalling Sinead O'Conner and no one else but herself.
Highlights are too numerous to mention, but the up-tempo triptych of 'It's All True', 'Grand Canyon' and closer 'Raise The Roof' each take old nineties rave and house music staples and slows them down slightly, to create musical backings that cushion Thorn's expert delivery.
'Out Of The Woods' is much better then it has any right to be. Tracey Thorn has clearly not spent her time away with her kids listening to Dido or Katie Melua, and thank goodness for that. Mixing folk, electro, house, bits of disco and psychedelica with gorgeous strings could have made for a musical mess. Instead, Tracey Thorn has created a dynamic, bruised but hopeful pop record and one of this years finest so far.
Artists in this article: Tracey Thorn
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