Where there’s Smoke, there’s fire.

DRI - Smoke Rings
Posted by Laila Hanson on 22-May-08 @ 02:35 PM

[3.5/5]
Adrianne Verhoeven's former group the Anniversary metamorphosed from an emotive new-wave band to an earthy psychedelic outfit within a two-year span. Given this history of abrupt evolution, it's unsurprising to hear the singer/keyboardist pursuing a completely different direction on her solo debut. Verhoeven's vocals, occasionally multi-tracked into a chanting army ("What's Real") or a one-woman girl group ("Inspiration"), interact charmingly with scratchy vinyl samples, dub-tinged bass drops and polyrhythmic electronic beats. Verhoeven never belts like Amy Winehouse or disappears into folk-chanteuse wispiness; instead, her mid-range voice-almost jarring in its clarity and confidence-lends warm, relatable personality to these dance numbers and torch ballads. As a lyricist, Verhoeven makes simple sentiments heartrending ("It'll never get easy/Cuz love just isn't easy"). She delves into R&B slang, using the phrases "rock the microphone" and "keep it real," and turning "it's hot as Hades, ladies" into a sassy chorus. But her irony-free delivery and the legitimately funky backdrops allow her to pull off her newfound urban attitude better than any white indie-scene lifer should. Having demonstrated dominance of the esoteric yet entertaining neo-soul/doo-wop/hip-hop category, this stylistic nomad will likely yield the crown by her next release, having migrated to, say, acoustic reggae. (RANGE LIFE) Andrew Miller

ROCKS LIKE:
Bjork's Post
Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
Solex's Pick Up


Official Website: http://www.rangeliferecords.com