Eliza Carthy, Dreams Of Breathing Underwater
A young British folk icon finally finds her niche.
It's been eight years since this young British folk icon dipped her toes into singer-songwriterdom with the very mixed bag Angels & Cigarettes. But, my, how she's grown in the meantime. After far more experience in the traditional music scene, Carthy returns with real maturity to her writing and singing — and a much clearer sense of how to present it. She is, and always will be, a folkie, and her music is at its best when she uses and (especially) subverts folk — as she does in “Lavenders,” which takes a hoary folk theme and reinvents it with lush atmospheres, Middle Eastern violin and unearthly harmonies.
She takes a similar approach in “Rows of Angels,” where subtle beats add emphasis to a strong, downbeat melody. In fact, it's when she tries to break out of the folkie mold that she's least successful. Compare indie-style opener “Follow the Dollar,” with its yawning ennui and distorted guitars, to “Hug You Like a Mountain,” which has a breathy, pastoral warmth. When folk is her springboard, Carthy can be terrific — “Mr. Magnifico” blends speech and song and comes across like an Irvine Welsh story told in the dark corner of a future folk club. It's not a perfect album, but Carthy has found her niche, and she's starting to explore it.
