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Lindsay Pawlyk
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Coil
Self-Released
Release: 2/11/2007
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Rated:
Review by:
Gisele Grignon
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Maybe it's just me and my distaste for tobacco. Or maybe it's my
previous incarnation life as a public health writer. Point is whenever
I hear words like: "cigarette..." I immediately think :PSA. Regardless
of the real or imagined subliminal message, one thing about
Lindsay Pawlyk is monstrously obvious: This gal's got pipes (again,
with the smoking analogies, but it's the last. Honest.) and they're
not limited to straight-ahead melody lines.
Her talent for harmonies is pure, honest and so silky it almost
out-smoothes her main vocals. Almost. She's also as addictive as
nicotine (ok, that's it or my name isn't Jeffrey Wygeant). "In the
Dark," the first cut on Coil, steps right up and shines
the light on Pawlyk's seamlessly effortless vocals, an original and
perfectly-hued pastiche of a low (or lower) key Holly Cole and
Diana Krall - jazz light, but in the complementary, not pejorative
sense, ya dig? The CDs title track, for some as yet unknown reason,
reminds me of the late '60s-early '70s hippie dippy but infectious
soundtrack to The Graduate or similar offerings of
that period.
Maybe "hippie" is off by a few years. "Cold Grey Stone," for
example, could have easily been yanked from a darkly lit, single
mic, finger-snapping, table-light flicking and (surprise) smoky
back-alley, cave-like venue. I'm now, officially (and mercifully) out
of hyphens, and smoking references, but this review would be
incomplete without this loud and clear message:
Pawlyk is a strong, unique, intriguing and highly listenable talent.
Plug her in, sit back and allow yourself to be swallowed up by her
naughty and nice, sometimes quirky, always rewarding style. This
is one Winnipeg folk-alternative singer-songwriter worth watching
for in the not-too-distant future.
Point to ponder: Verb to describe listening to this CD over and over
again: Recoiling. |
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