Marsha Swanson, Sentient Stardust (Mostly Music, 2007)
This is the second album from London-based singer-songwriter Marsha Swanson, a singer who I first heard providing beautiful harmonies for Swill and the Swaggerband on their album, Elvis Lives Here.
Kicking off with the title track, "Sentient Stardust" reveals a rather spiky sounding production with more than a few nods towards 1980s pop. In contrast, "How Are You?" is a heavenly piano-led ballad, achieving the sweeping, hymnal heights reached by the likes of Beth Nielsen-Chapman.
With its reference to kingdoms and "the month of May," the slightly kooky "Alice The Palace" contains dramatic imagery that could be straight out of an old English folk ballad. Sounding somewhat like an English take on Suzanne Vega's "The Queen And The Soldier" might, it could also be equally at home if sung by English folk-queen Maddy Prior.
Lyrically, Swanson is astute and reflective. The fragile closing track, "Still Wrong," another delicious piano-led ballad, deals with the reluctant acceptance that a relationship is failing: "wrong / try to be strong / love may carry on / but it's still wrong." Similarly, "Author Of Your Life" cleverly dissects the insincerities of a life spent refusing to face facts: "turning through the pages of your predetermined lifestyle / you're the author of your book but it's not true." Swanson's voice avoids over-ornamentation and the histrionics that many chart-fodder female singers deliver, singing with a clear and direct plaintiveness, and hitting all the right emotional buttons.
Comparisons to the likes of Carole King, Beth Nielsen-Chapman and Suzanne Vega are not merely fanciful; Swanson delivers a similar brand of grown-up, well-written pop. With songs of this quality, the classy Swanson surely has all it takes to seduce the music-listening public who are looking for intelligent, well-produced and thoughtful music.
