Sea Sew is the new album from Irish singer/songwriter Lisa Hannigan. The album is a collection of ten songs constructed around Hannigan's pretty voice and her simple, inviting lyrical style.
It would be easy to classify Hannigan's vocals as another in a long line of female singers who convey innocence and introspection with their sound. Yes, those elements are present with Hannigan as well. However, she also possesses a strength and confidence that give the listener a very subtle "don't mess with me" sense.
Hannigan waits until the second last track, "Teeth", to really let loose. It's a shame she doesn't do it more often, because it may be even prettier than her hushed deliveries.
The band assembled to support her, complete with violin, cello, glockenspiel, upright bass, trumpet and more, are quite strong. They shift effortlessly from Harvest Moon waltz ("Ocean and a Rock") to Feist-like bopper ("I Don't Know") and everything in between. All this is done with a very faint Celtic traditional tinge.
Hannigan's dark side comes forth with great aplomb on "Keep It All". The track is made even eerier with Shane Fitzsimons' upright bass, plunking a line that sounds like it's straight out of "Bela Lugosi's Dead".
Listener's can probably do without the Bjorkian weirdness on "Splishy Splashy", but that is easily overlooked on the basis of the rest of the album.
In the end it's Hannigan's voice that is the star of the show and it is her voice that seems destined to charm you.
Lisa Hannigan plays The Mod Club in Toronto on March 1st
Best tracks: "Keep It All", "I Don't Know"
Track listing for Sea Sew:
- Ocean and a Rock
- Venn Diagram
- Sea Song
- Splishy Splashy
- I Don't Know
- Keep It All
- Courting Blues
- Pistachio
- Teeth
- Lille- MP3
7.5
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