Album Review: Liz Stringer Warm In The Darkness

9 May 2012 | 8:32 am | Sebastian Skeet

The intricate work of players like Matt Walker on guitar and John Bedgegood on keyboards, help create the darker and deeper moods of this album

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Liz Stringer is one of Melbourne's most powerful singers yet seems so far to have slipped under the radar outside her home state. Her deep, throaty vocal is unique and strangely unaffected, so it's no wonder that on this album, her third, she is joined by some of Melbourne's luminaries who obviously ow a great talent  they hear it. This album is quite simple and straightforward in its production and instrumentation, evolving out of a rock band format.

Continuing with her love of blues and roots, Warm In The Darkness is quite an upbeat album relying on great players laying down solid tracks. On Heart's Been Trembling, we get a dose of the blues via The Rolling Stones. The guitar interplay wouldn't be amiss on a record like Exile On Main Street. Angela and In Anybody's Language are melodic and straightahead, sounding incredibly well-oiled with her voice at the helm. On Colourblind, Matt Walker's lap steel guitar makes this an almost country track. The intricate work of players like Matt Walker on guitar and John Bedgegood on keyboards, help create the darker and deeper moods of this album.

Stringer's songs and playing are still roots-based and have an integrity the match of great artists like Lucinda Williams and even the late Janis Joplin. Hopefully this album will bring her a larger audience at festivals and shows nationally.