Published on Sep 23, 2002
Kay Hanley appears to be one of those itinerant popsters who’s
been around the block a couple of times. The former lead vocalist
of alt-rock band Letters to Cleo (as well as the voice behind
Josie And The Pussycats — a dubious credit at best), she’s
now gone solo, and has released her first (and apparently
long-delayed) solo CD,
Cherry Marmalade.
Hanley’s music is described on the Rounder Records site as
‘infectious, sassy pop’. That’s a pretty fair assessment. This
isn’t lofty music with high pretensions; this is a woman with a
backing band singing about relationships and other personal things.
As long as you understand that, this isn’t too bad. It’s well
produced and engineered, and the backing musicians are competent.
There are a couple of misjudgments in the mix (specifically “Mean
Streak” — someone get that woman’s vocals out of the sewer,
please) but overall there are no technical flaws on the CD.
Hanley’s voice is…pleasant. It won’t send chills up and
down your spine, it won’t blow you away with its power and grace,
but it’s nice to listen to. It’s undemanding. Fact is,
‘undemanding’ might describe this entire CD; it doesn’t ask
anything of you, doesn’t take too many chances, doesn’t stretch any
boundaries. It’s not quite down to the puerility of girl-pop, but
this isn’t Sarah Brightman. Hell, this isn’t even Sheryl Crow.
There are a few tracks that stand out. The opening “Fall” is
catchy and fun; “Satellite” works Hanley’s vocal style a little,
and “Sheltering Sky” has a hook like Peter Pan’s nemesis. There are
a few other tracks that don’t work as well; “Shady Saves The Day”
is mostly flat, and “Princely Ghetto” didn’t do anything at all for
me.
I suppose it’s what you should expect from a CD titled
Cherry Marmalade. Mostly sweet and bright, but on some level
insubstantial. If you like your pop plain, this CD is for you; fans
of more complexity should look elsewhere.