ANGÉLINE

'Back to Pike Place' is the second EP from London-based, French musician Angéline Morand, and has been touted as being "bold and raw, contrasting with the more traditional nature of her first EP, 'Home'". Not having experienced her debut offering, I have no comparison point to make my own judgement although, production-wise, 'Back to Pike Place' sounds like a nicely polished effort, so I can only presume that the "bold and raw" description relates more to the actual songwriting. That, I could quite believe, as some of the tracks here are bold and raw in the emotions conveyed through Angéline's affectively expressive voice, which is refined and assured in delivery yet retaining captivatingly organic and natural qualities. Although the songs on this EP were born from raw roots as she demoed each composition to include "sounds made with whatever she could find in her room", Angéline subsequently collaborated with Garry Cosgrove, who was responsible for the final arrangements. And, while that original rawness in the instrumentations would undoubtedly have been tidied up and glossed over (as I already said, the production's great), the resulting music still retains a natural inherence. But it's Angéline's voice where these songs truly shine, as her singing infuses each composition with intrigue, allure and, most importantly, sincerity. She manages to convey complete conviction through her vocals, be it singing over the minimalist, acousto-centric, melancholic closer, 'Ghost Dance'; the more upbeat 'Black Butterflies' with its quasi-soulful sways; the seductive charms and sublime fragility of her voice on the EP's only song in her native language, 'Si J'avais La Choix'; or the heartfelt and poignant tribute to Nepal which draws from her "Nepalese friend's testimony" following the unimaginable horror and devastation resulting from the recent earthquake. What binds each of the songs together, though, are the subtleties and nuanced inflections in Angéline's vocal delivery, and the sheer range and depth of emotion she's able to convey through the casual, cool and innately charismatic way she sings. There's some serious, and seriously natural, talent on display here, and 'Back to Pike Place' is an enthralling listen from beginning to end.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Self-released

EP

BACK TO PIKE PLACE

Review by Mark Holmes

RUNNING TIME:

23:32

RELEASE DATE:

18th Sept 2015

TRACK LISTING

1) Kohly
2) Black Butterflies
3) Si J'avais La Choix
4) Aama
5) While I Was Away
6) Ghost Dance

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

France

"There's some serious, and seriously natural, talent on display here, and 'Back to Pike Place' is an enthralling listen from beginning to end."