Keren Ann - 101
It's been ten years since Israeili-born French alt-pop chanteuse Keren Ann first came on our radar with a pair of dreamy Euro-folk/pop albums, a simple but elegant songwriting style and a voice that managed to meld cool nonchalance with warm, almost cabaret-suited intimacy whether singing in French or English. Her most recent 2007 self-titled solo project expanded and sharpened the edge of her production sound and a 2009 live orchestral collaboration with songwriter Bardi Johannsson -- The Legend of La Ballade of Lady and Bird -- took her further into what we've described as a "luxuriant, eerie and imaginative neverland."
But nothing prepared us for "My Name Is Trouble", the lead track from Keren Ann's upcoming sixth album 101 (Blue Note) arriving February 28 in Europe and March 22 in the U.S. Abuzz with a humming bed of synthesizers, ticking beats and strolling bass line, "Trouble" sails boldly into Feist-ian waters with a frolic of hip-shaking art-pop energy, the sweetly inviting vocals riding the melody with a restrained but authoritative grip. More Bird and the Bee than Lady and Bird, 101 promises a vivid and daring new chapter in the Keren Ann saga. It's clear that the smart songcraft bears a similar stamp to her earlier works, but the formerly muted colors and misty shadows are now brightly, warmly iridescent.
Keren Ann - "My Name Is Trouble" (from the album 101)
Keren Ann - "Lay Your Head Down" (from the album Keren Ann)
101 Track Listing:
1 - My Name Is Trouble
2 - Run With You
3 - All The Beautiful Girls
4 - Sugar Mama
5 - She Won't Trade It For Nothing
6 - You Were On Fire
7 - Blood On My Hands
8 - Song From A Tour Bus
9 - Strange Weather
10- 101
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