CD Review: Neko Case- Fox Confessor Brings The Flood

Item: Neko Case- Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
Cost: $9.99 at Tower Records on 4th St. and Broadway in Manhattan



This past weekend I caught Neko Case at Webster Hall and while I was vastly unfamiliar with most of the songs she performed I was blown away by said performance so I decided to pick up her latest album. I own two other Neko Albums and I've always been partial to 2000's Furnace Room Lullaby and her work with New Pornographers. Though I have to tell you since this weekend's performance and the subsequent purchase I've rediscovered her Blacklisted album as being quite a treasure. This latest album equally captures the essence of Neko Case as a singer and songwriter though not necessarily as a performer since seeing her live is a different reward in itself. She has a captivating, powerful voice that channels some old timey classic qualities but also has a self assuredness that shines through in the boldness of her delivery and the power behind her vocal. She is no lyrical slouch either as songs such as "Star Witness" provide at times cryptic and at times crystal clear observation. It sort of helped that I read what that song was about in advance. The chorus of "hey when she sings when she sings like she runs, move likes she runs" brings to mind a certain grace and beauty. After I found out that the song was about witnessing a murder, I thought twice about what that line might mean. However it made the line " Go on scream and cry /You're miles from where anyone will find you /This is nothing new, no television crew /They don't even put on the sirens..."make much more sense.

My favorite tracks on the album are probably the one's that mimic the old spiritual tunes such as "John Saw That Number" and "A Widow's Toast" that are of the same ilk of the gospel numbers that Jenny Lewis tries to mimic on the beginning of "Rabbit Fur Coat". I don't know what it is. Is it weird that I'm Jewish and I like the spiritual sounding numbers. Anyway, I'm sort of pussing out early on this review but I feel if I keep going that I'm going to try to review every song and I'll just say that I really like this Neko Case album and it's definitely worth the price. Also, you should see Neko Live if you get the chance.


Overall Grade: B+