The crop of female singer-songwriters has
blossomed since Kristin's
first foray into solodom in 1994, but somehow they're all still pissed off.
Looking at artists like Ani
Difranco, Alanis
Morriset, Courtney
Love, even diana Ah naid [I Go Off,
Origin/mDs] they're all writing about their inner angst and the last situation
out of which they had to bail themselves. Not Kristin. She's
still out there, singing about stuff that matters to her: her family, where
she's been, where she's going - she may be bitter (somewhere!) but she doesn't
express it all that often.
It's the method of expression that
disappoints, though. Songs like Costa Rica (a little Stephen
Robinsonesque [Porter Street Tapes, EIR] in the approach), San
Francisco (even with the Bowie-like
ambience) and Cathedral Heart are a little too experimental and/or
eclectic for mine from one so with-it on the music scene. The chop-and-change
between up- and down-tempo tracks did little for the cause as well. Echo,
Fog (with maybe a little L7
for good measure) and A Cleaner Light stood out more with that mix of
early-90s alterna-pop (Tanya
Donelly, Breeders,
Juliana
Hatfield/Belly),
the light-hearted Pearly
Gatecrashers [Pop Suey, Concubine/Shock]
interjection here and there, and a voice I can only describe as a mix of the
aforementioned with Chrissie (Divinyls) Amphlett.
I couldn't get through the whole record in
the first sitting due only to the down-points, and don't know of anyone who
would get into it for more than the one or two highlight tracks. But fans will
enjoy "Sky Motel" on 4AD
through Shock for the fact that Kristin is back
again for another year! ««¾