Music Munchers - The Things We Do by Angela McCluskey

Product Review
Angela McCluskey has a luxurious, pliant voice reminiscent of Beth Orton, Cyndi Lauper, and even Billie Holiday. Thanks largely to producer/multi-instrumentalist Nathan Larson from Shudder to Think, the debut from this Scottish singer-songwriter and former Wild Colonials vocalist is a sumptuous and diverse pop-soul album. Take the first tune, "It's Been Done," which kicks off with a smooth down-tempo beat, sparse piano notes, and arpeggiated strings--just when you're ready for yet another Portishead ripoff, it changes. McClusky's rich voice enters, sounding more than a little like Macy Gray, and there's a bass line so buoyant and good you almost don't notice it, followed by some smart, strange slide guitar playing. Now get this; the bridge has organ and a ska beat--but the song totally works. It's the kind of tune that inspires daydreams of making a movie just to place it at the climax. Similar genre-morphing pleasures abound on Things We Do, a contemplative, bluesy, and occasionally brilliant solo debut. -- Mike McGonigal

If Angela McCluskey's voice sounds slightly familiar, it may be because, for the last several years, she has served as the lead singer of the beneath-the-radar band, The Wild Colonials. More likely, however, it's because she possesses the kind of voice that contains so much character, you feel like you should know it. Despite shades of Marianne Faithfull, Stevie Nicks, Cyndi Lauper,Julie Driscoll, Natalie Merchant, even a bit of Van Morrison, McCluskey's voice is distinctive and unique. Her timeless vocals are placed amidst modern sounding arrangements. The production touches by Nathan Larson evident in the opening cut, `It's Been Done', draw the listener in and then that voice nails him/her there. There is more than a tinge of what was once known as "trip-hop"-the combo of dreamy vocals, electronic sounds, and slow, rhythmic beats-with bits of folk, reggae, jazz, and blue-eyed soul. There are a handful of immediately memorable songs, another handful that are still growing on us (and a couple which probably will not). McCluskey's vocals, however, are so compelling-there's a wonderful catch in her voice which tweaks the emotional impact of everything she sings-that the material frequently becomes secondary and the album, a thoroughly engaging experience. Comment | Permalink | (Report this)