Theresa Andersson Albums (3)
'Hummingbird, Go!'
Release Date 8/19/2008
Tracks 12
Label Basin Street
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Stylistically, Theresa Andersson has not been easy to pin down as a recording artist. Although the Swedish vocalist/New Orleans transplant has recorded some torchy, jazz-influenced material, some people have described her as a roots rock/Americana/country-rock type of artist and compared her to folks like Mary Chapin Carpenter, Patty Loveless, Nanci Griffith, and Victoria Williams -- and, to be sure, those have been valid comparisons at times. Listeners who have had a hard time categorizing Andersson will find that she isn't any easier to categorize on Hummingbird, Go!, which finds her taking a somewhat psychedelic turn. Perhaps the best way to describe this 2008 release is "adult alternative pop/rock and folk-rock with soul and psychedelic influences." Tracks like "Birds Fly Away," "Locusts Are Gossiping," "Clusters," and "Na Na Na" have a hazy, spacy, dreamy quality; it's the sort of haziness that makes you feel like you have stepped into the aural equivalent of a David Lynch film. And according to the credits, this 36-minute CD was recorded in an unlikely place: Andersson's kitchen, where she had a band but made rhythmic use of things like wine glasses and beer bottles. But despite not being recorded in a conventional fashion -- that is, in a recording studio or at a live gig -- Hummingbird, Go! is not an exercise in strangeness for the sake of strangeness. Andersson brings a real sense of songcraft to the project, and many of her melodies are appealingly ethereal. Andersson doesn't have a huge voice; her vocals are on the thin side. But she knows how to make the most of what she has; that was evident on previous releases and continues to be evident on the surprisingly psychedelic-influenced Hummingbird, Go! ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
On first listen, it's difficult to tell where singer, songwriter, and rock violinist Theresa Andersson is aiming her debut Basin Street effort, Shine. Sure, it's all rock & roll, but Andersson has a deep trick bag. She's a soulful singer with a thin reedy voice, but can nonetheless dig deep into the melodies she writes and drench them with emotion and complete exuberance as she does on the title track. Then there's the crunchy guitars and backbeat rhythms she sings against on "I'm on My Way," a wondrous, outrageously hooky pop tome of personal liberation against a sheeny, fat, guitar-doused backdrop and a string-laden funky bridge. The tune would not be out of place on albums by Shania Twain or Martina McBride. Her cover of Anders Osborne's "It's Gonna Be Ok," features the guitarist and piano giant Jon Cleary in the mix. Her sweet, yet slightly gritty croon here is reminiscent in feel of Maria McKee, but Andersson is her own song stylist. Then there's the Big Easy rock & roll strut of "Good Girl," with careening electric violins wailing over greasy guitars. "Break Up," is a beautiful Cajun rock tune with a skittering, funky backbeat and stunning violin work. The album closes with "Lorraine's Song," with an elegiac dobro played by Sonny Landreth, who also takes a mean guitar break. The real story on the tune, though, is Andersson's vocal; she wrenches every ounce of backwoods country out of Grayson Capps lyrics. Brokenness, resolve, loneliness, and redemption pour from the belly-deep grain in her voice. Recommended. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
