CD review: St Vincent
Annie Clark, of St Vincent, seems determined to work against the grain. Her collaboration with David Byrne, of Talking Heads, on the album Love This Giant, in 2012, did little to convince her of the folly of her ways. For this, we must be grateful: Clark is a dying breed, a songwriter more concerned with self-expression than with penning a chart single.
St Vincent is Clark’s fourth album, and confirms she is a bona fide artist. Not only does she write and arrange her songs, but she performs an array of instruments, from electric guitar to trumpets and the clarinet. Her influences are varied — everything from pop to chamber music and free jazz — but she puts her own stamp on proceedings.
