Thursday, February 22, 2007

City Beach


From the opening infectious lope of “Lazy Girls” to the wistful closing of “Disconnection” (featuring harmony vocals by the incomparable Emmylou Harris), Jill Cunniff’s solo debut is an engaging blend of tasty guitar picking, tropical and electronica beats, intriguing samples, shimmering, sweetly soaring harmonies, and, most importantly, her own luminous voice.

Cunniff, founding member (and lead singer) of Luscious Jackson (who have a new greatest hits collection out), has crafted a record that is sunny without being cloying (the throbbing “Love is a Luxury”, for example, is witty love song that artfully steps around love song conventions while the equally-compelling “Exclusive” is a heartfelt plea for monogamy)…a collection of songs that makes you sway your hips and move your feet without neglecting the kind of lyrical content that makes you think…makes you smile…makes you nod knowingly.

(And if your head isn’t bobbing during the propulsive, horn and guitar driven, “Future Call” you might want to make sure you still have a pulse J )

City Beach is, quite simply, a dreamy, delightful, rapturous pop record that washes over you like a cool, bracing breeze on a soft summer’s afternoon.

Jill Cunniff's MySpace is here

Luscious Jackson's MySpace is here



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More MKW blogstuff: Bread and Roses

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