Published on Oct 9, 1997
After spending your career as part of a band and having to be
part of a team, what happens when you step out on your own and
start a solo career?
Tanya Donelly recently faced this exact dilemma. After being
part of Throwing Muses and leading her own alternative rock band
Belly for two albums, Donelly returns to the airwaves with her
first solo effort,
Lovesongs For Underdogs. And while I was interested in
hearing this disc, I will admit I had some skepticism as I ripped
into the shrinkwrap. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard Throwing
Muses, but Belly had not impressed me past the singles.
Twelve songs and 45 minutes later, it was crystal clear that
Donelly is a much more solid artist when she is on her own;
Lovesongs For Underdogs is a surprisingly good release, and
one of the best I’ve heard this year.
From the opening moments of “Pretty Deep,” Donelly is out to set
herself apart from her previous work. For the most part, gone is
the little-girl singing voice she displayed in albums past. Here is
a richer, more powerful voice that carries more weight than ever
before. Donelly’s guitar work (and, on many tracks, keyboard work)
is equally impressive; this is a woman who has definitely grown as
a musician since the last time I heard her.
Many of the songs on
Lovesongs For Underdogs follow in the same vein. “The Bright
Light” has a great drum backbone that powers the track, along with
some solid songwriting from Donelly. “Mysteries Of The Unexplained”
is a song that will take a couple of listens, but it grows on you.
“Goat Girl” is a surprise here, with a softer touch on the guitars
adding an even more powerful punch.
Many of the songs on this album tend to sound the same —
normally a trait I don’t enjoy. However, on
Lovesongs For Underdogs it works to Donelly’s advantage, so
when she goes to a slightly different style, you tend to appreciate
it even more. Without this pattern of songwriting, cuts like “Bum”
and “Manna” might have been lost in a swirl of different
songwriting genres. The only negative about staying in the same
vein — if you can even call it that in this case — is you’ll need
to listen to the disc twice to appreciate the album in its
entirety.
Actually, it is on frequent listenings of this album that some
of the tracks step forward to show themselves off. “Landspeed Song”
reveals itself to be a powerful track, as does “Acrobat.” In fact,
the more I listened to
Lovesongs For Underdogs, the more I really liked it.
Donelly only stumbles twice on
Lovesongs For Underdogs. No matter how many times I listen
to it, I just can’t get into the track “Lantern.” I guess it’s the
pauses after the chorus that throws me; I tend to think pausing
like this takes away from the overall power of the track. The
album’s closer, “Swoon,” also fails to impress me — it’s almost
like Donelly ran out of gas by the time she hit this song. (Donelly
is not the only artist to fall into this trap — it almost seems
like artists put their weakest material at the end of their
albums.)
But what about her long-time fans from her days in Throwing
Muses and Belly? I think that this album will leave them asking
themselves why Donelly didn’t step forward sooner to embark on a
solo career. Sure, Belly served its purpose, creating cuts like
“Feed The Tree,” but I personally think all that pales in
comparison to this album.
Lovesongs For Underdogs is a reminder of the power
alternative music was supposed to have before it was designated the
flavor of the month. Donelly embraces the best parts of her past
and establishes herself as the new alternative goddess (replacing
such names as Juliana Hatfield and Liz Phair). Give this one a
couple of spins and let it slap you upside the head with its power
— it never felt so good.