Zoe
Country of origin:
England
Type of music generally:
Rock
Status:
Most recent album, hammer, 1996
See also:
The War Against Silence's review of Hammer
Comparisons:
Sam Brown? Kerri Simpson? These are just guesses. No one comes immediately to mind. (Neile)
Covers/own material:
Own, co-writes songs, occasional traditional cover
General comments:
She has a strong voice, and her songwriting, while not incredibly distinctive, is good. She certainly can handle a range of musical styles. She seems almost to push her voice á la Boo Trundle, even in the softer, slower songs—and she really belts it out in the rockier tunes. Good energy—I think she'd be great live. (Neile)
Recommended first album:
Hammer
Recordings:
Scarlet Red and Blue
Release info:
1992—Polydor
Availability:
Wide on release; now cut out and hard to find
Ecto priority:
Recommended only for fans
Produced by:
Youth
Comments:
I've had it for a few years, and got it at a cutout bin too. I only like a couple of songs on it, and then, only faintly. (vickie@enteract.com)Pop/blues in the Fiona Apple vein, but of (I would say) lower caliber than Fiona. Pretty forgettable, yes. But original, in that it is something I can actually use as background music—occasionally a useful thing! I didn't find it too poppy, indeed I found it quite raucous at times. Very uneven, with some very disposable songs, and generally undemanding listening. Overall, not a great favourite, but interesting enough to play once in a while. (nightwol@dircon.co.uk)
Hammer
Release info:
1996—M&G Records (U.K.), RCA Records (U.S.)—07863 66826-2
Availability:
Wide in U.S.
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended for rock fans
Group members:
Zoe Pollock—vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitar
Guest artists:
Youth—guitar, bass, sitar
Oscar O'Lochlainn—guitar, drums, mandolin
Anthony Thistlethwaite—acoustic guitar
Saul Davies—acoustic guitar, violin, tamboura
Greg Hunter—acoustic guitar
James Blennerhasset—double bass
Geoff Dugmore—drums
Mel Wesson—keyboards
Donal Lunny—bouzouki, bodran, sitar
Davey Spillane—uilleann pies
Mary Custy—violin
Dara O'Donoghue—tambourine
Violet Williams—backing vocals
Produced by:
Youth, one song by Youth & Donal Lunny, one song by Youth, Greg Hunter, and Donal Lunny
Comments:
I really, really, *really* like that album. Every song on it is damn good and it's majorly eclectic, every song is different. The more I listen, the more I like, it's all over the place style-wise, but I think every song is very good to great, and I also tend to listen to it for long periods of time, at a time. I have her first album, and I liked a few songs on it, but it was too uneven. This album isn't uneven at all, in my opinion. (vickie@enteract.com)I totally agree with Vickie's assessment of it. I haven't heard her first album, but this one, even though (perhaps because?) it's all over the map stylistically, is wonderful. I especially love her version of "I Once Loved a Lad" but the whole thing is good. Diverse pop—this surprised me how much I like it. Hard to pin the style down because it changes so much in this album. Every time I pull it out, it stays stuck in my player for a while. Lively and entertaining. (Neile)
I picked up this album since it was cheap, but I was not thrilled with it. (ariana@kbp.com)
We've been liking it very much. (meth@smoe.org)
Worth a listen, but she won't become one of my favorites. (Riphug@aol.com)
What a wonderful album!! I regret that I haven't picked it up before. Enough on it for many hours of listening and discovering. (onealien@mo.himolde.no)
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