Fisherman's Woman | Emiliana Torrini | Gorgeous and low-key (no, it's not trip hop)

Fisherman's Woman | Emiliana Torrini | Different from her debut but Brilliant nonetheless

popular music:

Fisherman's Woman

	Fisherman's Woman Emiliana Torrini Rough Trade Us, 2005 average customer review:based on 32 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Gorgeous and low-key (no, it's not trip hop)

We have to acknowledge the fact that this album is not the inheritor of the trip hop beauties of Love in the Time of Science. Like so many lasting artists such as Bjork or Beck (and even to a certain degree Belle & Sebastian), the mood, music and personality change over time. Don't get me wrong, I adore Love in the Time of Science and there are no bad songs on it. Fisherman's Woman is different but also ethereal and beautiful. And I think that given how polished she is, we forget this is a sophomore effort. Amazing when you think about it.

It feels like a low-key, paired down cousin of folk and pop both. The album starts out with a semi-melancholic strum from Nothing Gets Me Down. Immediately we are in a different country, but then Emiliana's familiar accented vocals remind us of where we are. I personally find that one of the charms of her music is her breathy singing style where you can hear many nuances, this is even better live!

The second song, Sunny Road, was one of the more popular singles and is fairly upbeat. Like her prior album, storytelling unfolds and we learn about some of her life decisions that led to the years between these two albums (at least that is my interpretation). Emiliana has grown up and become more eloquent in Fisherman's Woman. Since her first album, which was full of innocent and sweetly foreign images, she has delved into the language and the emotions, and come up with more controlled, complex jewels.

My favorites:
Honeymoon Child - comes on with a sort of unearthly, wavering music that sets you up for the lyrics. Her voice is amazingly highlighted in this track.
Heartstopper - the most like her former album, an upbeat and fun song - "Outside your house to make a scene / in my head you grabbed me passionately / but the lights are out and in hour / I walked home in the pouring shower".
Serenade - sweet and soft, makes me want to dance alone in the dark before the dawn. Seriously, another gorgeous tune.

In a word: enchanting! You have to be willing to enjoy and put in a little work for her second album, but it's definitely worth it. It's not as "easy" as the first, but nor is it as simple. I can't wait for album #3.

PS: So now you know that lots of fans love this album too. If you're in it for the long haul, Emiliana Torrini is a rewarding and amazing artist. I love how her music has changed. But if you're mainly a trip hop/pop fan, or you're just not into the low-key music, then it may not be for you. Isn't it great that we can all love different things? ;-)

for more information click here

Different from her debut but Brilliant nonetheless

I think it is safe to call Torrini talented. While not completely mainstream her abilities as an artist are strong enough for her to act as a substitute for Enya in the Gollum number of Peter Jackson's cinematic behemoth. It is a shame that most of her fans are not appreciating this record for what it is, which is a minimalistic, poignant, cathartic masterpiece.

This is not a happy record. The most prevalent tone is one of mourning (even the title suggests it) and she replaces her electronic sound with emotions. And yet it is not a depressing sadness that you get. What you get is the kind of sadness that makes you want to go to a coffee shop in Iceland just to stare out the window and perhaps pick up smoking and all the time... smiling It is that beautiful.

It is not an easy record either. It is harder to get into than love in the time of science with its very obvious melodies and in your face synths. This record is almost completely acoustic. It is also not easy to describe either so let me sum this up and let you read other reviewers attempts.

If you have ever been in a bar and the lounge singer is being mostly ignored by other patrons for a while but eventually every body starts to glance up at her occasionally as if to say, "You know that is true, it does feel like that sometimes doesn't it? How did you know?" Then this is the record for you.

Highly recommended.

for more information click here

Simply put.......Beautiful

Having really liked Emiliana's 'Love In The Time Of Science' and 'Merman', I was initially disappointed on my first listen to 'Fisherman's Woman', but then again I was expecting something more along the lines of 'Love In The Time Of Science', however, about a month after that first listen, on a golden sunny morning I gave it another spin, and it was just blissful, a forty minute moment of clarity, that was over a year ago and I would say this album has become one of my essential albums, when it's raining, when it's cold and your tucked up in bed, when the moon is penetrating the bedroom windows, when your looking out the window of a train in the winter sun, when your........there is such an intimacy to this, it's consoling, like half heard lullaby's from a dream, it's audible medicine! This album has real staying power, and stands up to repeated listens without dulling it's edge, there are few albums that can boast such a longevity, perhaps Stina Nordenstam's 'Memories Of A Colour' or Françoise Hardy's 'La Question', my recommendation is to buy this little gem and let Emiliana soothe your blues

for more information click here

really different

I really like this chick, one of the better female vocals today. Her voice is unusual, but she's very deep, and warm. There is a playfullness to her songs. Her lyrics are vivid and natural. This album in particular is kind of acoustic, w/particular emphasis on her voice. One of my favorite albums.

Beautiful Voice

Her voice is definitely beautiful. However, if I have one complaint...it would be that the album is a bit monotonic.

reviews: 1, page 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

products you might be interested in