Strange, But Beautiful (04/21/04)

I usually do not like strange. I don't like overuse of weird electronics, too-obtuse lyrics, booklets that don't give much helpful info...etc., etc., etc. All of this is why Little Black Dress and Other Stories is such a shocking and unique surprise - I don't understand much of what is going on in these 13 songs, but I think I like it. The liner booklet is themed on a '50s-pulp-fiction sort of deal; there is a very strange picture of Anny Celsi biting the nipple of someone with a tattoo of her name on their chest - and text that tricks you into thinking that the lyrics of these songs are seemingly taken from a faux pulp novel (sometimes these ramblings have to do with the song...sometimes they don't).

All of this head scratching continues with the fact that stylistically, Ms. C is all over the map, but, against all odds, all of this works. Her voice is staggeringly lovely, the songs (all penned by Celsi, save one) are all very well put together and feature attractive mixes and colors that you can't get out of your head and whether I understood anything going on here or not, I certainly end up heartily recommending this odd but lovely little disc.

A quick trek through all 13 songs I think will demonstrate all the bizarrities afoot...the first obtuse story song of the disc, "Twas Her Hunger Brought Me Down," introduces us to Ms. C's gorgeous voice - the percussion color is especially attractive and the little banjo interlude should sound incredibly out of whack, but instead it just adds to the borderline surreal and incredible beauty of this cut. On the title cut we change gears to a throbbing, electric guitar-laden, burning wail underpinning another wonderfully fun song rife with irresistible hooks. We switch gears radically again as "Summer Fling" almost recalls the seminal "Feelin' Groovy," with its jaunty, sauntering pace that juxtaposes ironically with the downcast-ness of the lyrics. ("It's a bad year for a summer fling - It's a bad year for that time of thing") Kevin Jarvis' drum work gives a heat of syncopated passion to The Pretenders-like sound of "Day After Tomorrow " - another song that should just be so off kilter that the ear reels - but instead again we have a shockingly wonderful cut. There is now an almost Country feel to the sparse and sweetly beautiful (and mandolin-inflected!) "It Hurts/My Heart/To Hear/Your Voice." And no, I don't understand what the slashes in that title mean any more than I understand much of what the hell else is going on here, but mercy are the results ever beautiful.

Rough, cold, dark piano and drums licks launch into " All I'm Gonna Say." With those weird low-range-of-the-piano hammer chords giving us an almost avant-garde "art" song feel followed by a staring of almost soft Jazz before the final chorus - this is by far the weirdest song on this album (and that's saying a lot) - but Ms. Celsi's amazing pipes still keep the song from going too overboard into wacko land. More joyous Rock-lick electric guitar jangles and some flat out spine tingling builds to the choruses in "Can't Win Em All" makes that song a spectacular joy. Very punchy percussion colors the otherwise easy Rock ballad sound of "So Many Bad Dreams" with its especially haunting lyrics ("How can one girl have so many bad dreams/I woke up on the beach still in my party dress") "He's Always Looking at the Sky" could be described as a wonderful, unreleased Dixie Chicks song on mushrooms. The bass drum-heavy, moody beat, and nearly scary whispering by Ms. C makes "Wicked Little Heart" touch you and grab you at the same time. One of the most understated song on the album is the organ-colored "Shut Out The Shine," which trades some of the weirdness for sincere, touching emotion and the final song, penned by harmony vocalist Steve Barton, is "No Time Like Now," featuring his and Ms. C's voices mixing in some of the most thrilling harmonies of the whole CD and the results are staggeringly beautiful and downright magical.

But don't get this album if you are expecting straightforward stuff (just check out the most bizarre "Thank You" notes at the end of the CD booklet). I think Anny tries to analogize making this album as pouring more gravy on a biscuit and tying this to people who wear black jeans (Umm...yeah). But to conclude, this may be more of an educated listener thing to say rather than a quote from a professional critic, but all I can think to end this with is: I am not sure what this album is or what it's about at all, but I sure do like it!

P. Kellach Waddle is a contributing editor at FolkWax

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