THE sultry and often unconventional voices of 2010’s female solo artists relentlessly serenaded British ear drums with the likes of Ellie Goulding, Sky Ferreira and Adele taking centre stage.
And this barrage of sweet scented pop doesn’t look set to stop anytime soon with February 21st set as the date for transatlantic songstress Alex Winston’s debut EP, ‘Sister Wife’.
This six song collection of self-penned and performed tracks, comes straight from the imagination of Detroit born Winston, with the added input of production duo, The Knocks, along with Charlie Hugall.
Having worked with Rihanna and Ellie Goulding, The Knocks’ latest collaboration was always going to get attention and the opener, ‘Locomotive’, grabs you from the off with an interesting mix of sounds.
Combining a heavy, unsubtle drum beat with Winston’s high-pitch vocal, an incessant tambourine and relentless acoustic guitar, this track is a pretty Kate Bush-style vocal with an at times grating accompaniment.
Winston’s best bits here come in the slower, stripped back moments, when her heavily echoed vocal is added to with that acoustic strum as she sings: “Come on call me sugar, call her honey, call me darling”.
Another song with a darker backing is title track, ‘Sister Wife’. After a tribal drum beat and soft string intro reminiscent of Lykke Li, Winston gets into her stride with a soft opening verse before the bouncy melody begins.
This time the mishmash of instruments comes together better in a full on, yet balanced, track with a darker undertone as she aggressively sings: “Hey there sister wife, get the hell out, it’s my life”.
The standout track however has to be the memorably bright and beautiful ‘Choice Notes’, starting off with a Lily Allen-esque piano and horn combo that tinkles its way through to a melodic, summery chorus.
Winston’s cute vocals work into an echoic lullaby before featuring heavily again in the harmonic 60’s throwback love song ‘Sweet James’.
The violin-clad ‘Don’t Care About Anything’ and closing track ‘Fingers and Toes’ again work around that high-pitched gift of a voice.
The former is a slow-paced, self-deprecating story of not feeling for others as she passionately sings: “Kick me, hit me, shake me, scare my ghost, I’m feeling comatose.”
Alex Winston’s beautiful and emotive vocals and evident song writing ability make her a star in the making, but the over-experimental leanings and at times grating arrangements are only small blots on a promising debut.
7/10
Also published on www.virgin.com
http://www.virgin.com/music/reviews/alex-winston-gets-sultry-on-sister-wife/
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