(Spunk/EMI)

Androgynous crooner reverts from disco back to love songs

Here’s the thing with Antony Hegarty; his voice is undisputedly something unique, alien and enigmatic. He has though a touch of what I think of as Rufus Wainright Syndrome: a remarkable voice, but without necessarily possessing the songwriting tools to match. In Hegarty’s case, the album feels much like a vehicle for his voice, rather than his voice being a means to propel the album. There are bright spots however. Her Eyes Are Underneath The Ground however is touching in its subtle melody, unobtrusive strings and piano, and is by far the best track here. Daylight And The Sun is effective too. Another World appears from the recently released EP of the same name, though perhaps the cathartic Shake That Devil should have also made it across in the name of diversity. The resonating theme however remains that while Hegarty’s voice is spectacular, the songs he sings are comparatively underwhelming and draw from the same bag of tricks, only sometimes getting lucky. Everglade gets just the right combination of horns, strings and Hegarty’s voice to create a beautiful moment. But tracks like Epilepsy Is Dancing fumble around finding such moments and others miss them entirely. Hegarty’s ability to emote sometimes feels restrained, some songs lacking in the melancholy you would otherwise expect. When you have a voice like his, subtlety is more restriction than nuance. Antony fans, you’ll still love this, and it certainly isn’t a bad album. But if you haven’t already been converted, this won’t be the record to make it happen.

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MICHAEL PINCOTT

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