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HIGH BIAS - reviewed by Michael Tolan
Little Black Dress & Other Stories is a superb debut album
from Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Anny Celsi. A versatile writer
and singer, Celsi is perfectly comfortable with folk rock ("Empty Hangers," "So
Many Bad Dreams"), jazzy pop ("All I'm Gonna Say," "Wicked Little Heart"),
heartbroken ballads ("Shut Out the Shine"), sunny pop ("Summer Fling"), power
pop ("Can't Win 'em All") and even a sort of folk-noir ("'Twas Her Hunger
Brought Me Down," based on a Theodore Dreiser novel). The diversity of her
approach could have lead her down the path of diffusion, not to mention
confusion, but it doesn't. Celsi and producers Kevin Jarvis and Marvin Etzioni
are smart enough to center all the arrangements around her attractive voice,
leading to a welcome sonic uniformity. Plus, her thematic thrust—a strong woman
can suffer without losing her power—informs nearly every tune, and the story
fragments Celsi provides for each track in the liner notes gives the record a
conceptual unity that's pleasing to the palette. Little
Black Dress & Other Stories is a hell of an impressive debut, and Anny Celsi is
a talent to watch. For fans of: Amy Rigby,
Rosanne Cash, Syd Straw |