Trip Hop is a slippery genre, the name being applied to a bizarre variety of musicians, from Massive attack to Björk. Starting as a reaction against the American dominance of Hip Hop, it has found voices right in the heart of the Imperium. Prominent among them is Philadelphia based Daughter Darling, the collaborative effort of dj/producer brothers Travis and Steven Fogelman with vocalist Natalie Walker. Walker’s vocals hark back to many individualistic female singer-songwriters, but the resemblance to both Sarah McLaughlan and Björk is pretty obvious. I like her voice, and the way in articulates the lyrics, but I find some of the electronic nest its embedded in occasionally annoying. But most of the songs work well. The opening title track is fine, putting across a Leonard Cohen‑y world-weary loneliness to good effect. So is the clever re-working of Kansas’ “Dust In the Wind”. “Broken Bridge”, with it’s well-placed piano accompaniment, and “Sad And Lonely”, where horns and snares are used with equal taste, can’t be faulted. “Let Me Speak” is probably the strongest song. This album was widely hyped when it came out, but I didn’t hear it. Now I’m playing catch-up. My taste doesn’t focus on this kind of music, but if it’s well done, as this is, I’ll listen.
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