St. Vincent or Annie Clark as her mother called her, has kicked off her little known side kick David Byrne, and returned with an album of her own! This is her fourth solo album, and immediately follows the 2012 album ‘Love this Giant’, an album that introduced her to the world, due to the presence of the ex Talking Heads lead singer. This is the moment that Annie was due to step up and become a mega star, so has it happened?

I’d hazard a guess that the answer is no, as there’s no single contained in this collection that could become a day time radio friendly hit or that I could see sitting top of the single charts. It lacks a ‘Road to Nowhere’, to keep up the Talking Heads comparisons. The two singles released to date are ‘Birth in Reverse’ and ‘Digital Witness’ and while both are great songs, neither has the arrangement or style that I’d expect to see become a cross over hit, even with another impressive and quirky video, such as the one below.

She’s an real talent, with a great voice, interesting guitar and with something to say. She looks the part and is great on stage. So, is there anything missing? The only slight problem with Ms. Clark is that you wish she’d sometimes just let rip, but that’s like asking politicians not to line their pockets, it’s just not the nature of the beast. She’s controlled and measured in everything she does, and you just have to learn to live in her world of Stepford like perfection!

The arrangements change quickly between songs, sometimes the guitars play (controlled) nasty and on other songs they’re in the periphery.  There are songs with a prominent brass section, reminiscent of ‘Love this Giant’ but again, only on certain tracks. The sound is clear and crisp, with the vocals prominent and all else behind. The lyrics are smart and funny, and live up to previous albums. Songs like ‘I prefer your love’ (to Jesus) and ‘Severed Crossed Fingers’ waft along in a secluded valley of sound. In truth, you’d struggle not to like this album. I’m sure you could, if you put your mind to it, but you’d have to work at it. I think a few more risks are required for her classic album though, which I’m sure will come with time.

The album St. Vincent will be released on February 24th 2014 on Republic Records. You can listen to the album in full here.

No. Title Length

1. “Rattlesnake” 3:34

2. “Birth in Reverse” 3:15

3. “Prince Johnny” 4:36

4. “Huey Newton” 4:37

5. “Digital Witness” 3:22

6. “I Prefer Your Love” 3:36

7. “Regret” 3:21

8. “Bring Me Your Loves” 3:15

9. “Psychopath” 3:32

10. “Every Tear Disappears” 3:15

11. “Severed Crossed Fingers” 3:42