Emma Pollock – Watch The Fireworks
This young Scottish/American singer could be forgiven for sounding a little like Avril Lavigne,as this album,released on 17th September,is an intelligent listen. I liked this album a lot and enjoyed Emma’s lightweight singing with a pleasant harmonious backing band.
This album was begun in 2005 after Emma Pollock went solo after leaving The Delgados. There is a lot more to her than her voice would suggest and she delivers a very compact sound. All songs are self-penned. The song Here Comes The Heartbreak is a nice little tune; a bit formulaic but it works,with this singer. On This Rope’s Getting Tighter,Emma’s voice sounds a little like Doris Day. It’s a tuneful song and I found it struck a chord.
Every song on this album is intelligent and delivers the goods in a satisfactory way. Adrenaline,released as a single recently,should have made its mark .Emma’s voice also has strong shades of Natalie Imbruglia and this song suits her vocal style. Too highbrow for the singles charts?This song has been given a place on my myspace profile,and I’m pretty choosy about my music!
Acid Test,the second single released in August,failed to make much impact on the charts either,but then what good music does, these days?The song is lightly commercial without being too much so,and has a good chorus. I also liked The Optimist very much- and Limbs has Joni Mitchell’s creative influence stamped all over it.
All of the songs on the album have depth and much careful thought has gone into making this album. Go and buy it. I will,as soon as possible.
By Juliet Robertson
