ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2011 No.2 - JOAN AS POLICEWOMAN, The Deep Field

We've heard a lot about a singer called Rumer this year and the thing that's often remarked about her is the similarity in her voice to Karen Carpenter. Well about five years ago I too was introduced to an incredible female voice that, to my ears, could also summon echoes of that great 70s easy listening songbird. Joan Wasser though has a little bit extra, that spark of genius that seems lacking in Rumer whose smoothness and easiness attains knuckle gnawing levels. Joan though has rough edges, a soulfulness and depth in her musical range that means she'll never have completely laid bare her full potential. Not just that, she's cool too. When home in the US she drives around in a cop car (hence the name) watching passing cars hastily observe the speed limits.

On her first two albums there's been an overwhelming melancholy to her work, inviting comparisons to her old boyfriend Jeff Buckley and the king of bittersweet, Elliott Smith. With 'The Deep Field' however it's quite a different story as Joan makes a mockery of the cliche that an artist experiencing some personal contentment will not produce great work. This album really could have been titled 'Joan As Policewoman Sings About Love' so blatantly does she rev up the sexy mood. 'Human Condition' even has a deep Barry White style backing vocalist seducing the listener, all played out totally straight, no tongue in cheek. I'd say that her cleverest stroke across the album is the way she describes these positive developments in her life with a sense of doubt; as if she doesn't quite trust the feeling to last but she's got to discipline herself into enjoying these moments while they're still good. Let's not ignore though the brilliance of the funky groove found on 'The Magic' or the fun that exudes in the old school R&B visited on 'Chemmie'. The album ends on an orgasmic high, the slow building 'I Was Everyone' rising a-la Otis Redding on 'Try A Little Tenderness' as Joan sings of the power in finding your voice and bringing the world your message. If some of this sounds a little corny then cast aside those doubts, 'The Deep Field' is one of the most satisfying and joyously life celebrating albums ever released and a pivotal moment in the work of Joan Wasser.

Free music - The Deep Field