Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 09/14/2004
Nearly 35 years on, and the
folk and twining
soft rock of the early '70s is being birthed again in a stylized new version. Suddenly young women with unruly mops of dark hair and a flair for dusky vocal phrasing are handily making their way in
pop music. They're clad in comfy boat-neck sweaters, dainty scarves, and those boots
Emmylou Harris wore on the cover of
Elite Hotel; their antidote to plastic
club/dance divadom is a holistic amalgam of
Joni Mitchell,
Carole King,
James Taylor, and
Tim Buckley. Englishwoman
Polly Paulusma joins their ranks with
Scissors in My Pocket, her charming debut for
One Little Indian. It always starts with the voice, and
Paulusma's never disappoints.
Mitchell is a significant influence in both vocal style and phrasing, but there's a bit of
Edie Brickell's reedy grace in there, too. Accompanied principally by subtle acoustic guitars or piano, she doesn't need to prove how strong her voice is, and doesn't skip through styles on the whim of a marketing director. This means
Scissors lacks the pretentiousness that tinges some of its contemporaries' work.
"Perfect 4/4" is a gorgeous piece that had to be recorded live -- you can hear
Paulusma's voice echoing off the walls, almost see her hand resting on the piano's lacquered finish. Opener
"Dark Side" unfolds one of the album's prettiest melodies, its bed of robust acoustic instruments supported with slight vocal overdubs and clever
Pink Floyd lyrical references. Conversely, the powerful, string-tinged
"One Day" moves toward some smoky
cabaret. Rich acoustic bass and softly brushed percussion appear for
"She Moves in Secret Ways," and stick around for the quietly confessional
"Carry Me Home." Though it's nearly flawless, that very trait can also make
Scissors in My Pocket lack sharpness and threaten to become one long nap in the sunlight. Luckily,
Paulusma inserts a track like the rousing
"Give It Back" just in time, getting carried away in its horns and the keening organ of its overture; she sounds like
Phoebe Snow covering
the Stones'
"You Can't Always Get What You Want." All in all,
Scissors in My Pocket is a spectacular debut. It's a child of past masters, no question. But
Polly Paulusma knows what's what, and how to make the sky come tumbling down again.
~Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
;)
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