Anna Lavigne
Guillemot Days
Barbaraville Records
Cutting Edge, Charmingly Velvety Late Night Smoky Jazz Infused Lo-Fi
Three years ago we described Anna Lavigne’s debut album Angels in Sandshoes as a Cornucopia of Musical Loveliness and then her second album Roses For the Ride s Grown-Up Late Night Avant Garde Dinner Jazz Loveliness With a touch of Celtic Charm Too and both epithets stand true for this her third album in as many years; although she has somehow moved on quite dramatically musically.
Opening song Edge of the World starts with some delightful acoustic guitar before Anna’s warm and sultry vocals make an appearance; and even though the backbeat is actually wonderful; you will be so engrossed in Ms Lavigne’s voice and words you will barely notice the first 5 or 6 times you play this album.
The ethereal Butterfly follows suit and bizarrely makes me think that this may be how Dusty Springfield may have sounded if all of the strings and orchestral arrangements had been stripped away.
While not a ‘happy clappy’ album in any which way, Anna’s songs are all designed to make you smile …. and sigh too.
A few weeks ago I finally visited a Jazz Club in Newcastle where the upstairs room has a tiny corner stage draped with dark velvet curtains that holds about 50 and a bar stocked with exotic gins, rums and whisky’s too; and that’s where songs like Flowers of Hope, Jaguar and Falling would all find their spiritual home; or at least have accompanying videos filmed there.
Normally at this stage reviewers are expected to say something like ‘I can hear where Anna’s songwriting has grown and blossomed‘ …. but it hasn’t, as it’s still as cutting edge and charming in equal measures as that debut album three years ago, sensitive too …. as you will hear when the Parisian flavoured Scots Love Song-Noir; Reclamation makes you close your eyes and drift away on a tide of loveliness.
“The Beachcomber went drifting, along a Northern shore
Where she met a troubled man, she felt she’d known before
His clothes were feathered, frayed and torn with sunburnt golden skin,
His eyes were of the bluest flame that startled her within“
…. imagine Marianne Faithfull backed by the Hot Club de Paris playing in that club I mentioned.
While I’ve obviously focussed on Anna Lavigne’s wonderful talents; I can’t help but mention the immaculate production by one Martin George Stephenson, which feels influenced by both George Martin and Phil Spector in equal measures.
When it came to selecting a singular Favourite Song I’ve been left biting my nails for fear of making a mistake; as the sublimely clever love song Polar Pull certainly has to be a contender as it simply aches with longing; then the final song; the haunting duet with MG Stephenson Peace & Plenty made me go “Oooh” out loud, much to Mrs Magpie’s merriment when I was listening on headphones.
But there is one other that caught my attention even before I’d heard it, simply because the title Our Lady Of Guadalupe sounded familiar; possibly a Tom Russell or Nanci Griffith song perhaps; but no … this is brand new and from Anna’s pen and heart. The relatively simple production and arrangement is all these strong and powerful words need and Anna Lavigne and Martin Stephenson should be rightly proud of this stand out song.
I’m still inclined to describe this album as Avant-Garde and Jazzish; but that may put a lot of potential purchasers off; but it’s deep in places yet ‘easy listening,’ dark at times but with bright and breezy melodies too.
What else? Nothing really …. just Anna Lavigne’s beautiful and smoky voice carries the listener through some wonderful stories that I can’t recommend highly enough.
Musicians:
Anna Lavigne: lead vocals, bvs
Martin Stephenson: acoustic and electric guitars, dobro,
keyboards, bass, percussion, bvs
Gary Dunn: lead electric guitar (track 7)
Charlie Smith: drums and percussion (track 7)
Martin Winning: saxophones (track 4) clarinet (track 10)
Edmund John Sloggie – accordion (tracks 8 & 9)
Craig McDonald additional drumming
https://www.facebook.com/anna.lavigne.16
Released (Download) December 1st 2023
Released (CD) December 21st 2023
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https://annalavigne1.bandcamp.com/album/guillemot-days
The Rocking Magpie 