Frances Charlotte- Emerald

ARTIST: Frances Charlotte
ALBUM: Emerald
LABEL: Tangled Records
REVIEWER: Matthew J.
DATE: 4-28-08

Despite the fact that her approach basically boils down to singer with an acoustic guitar, Frances Charlotte hardly comes off as your stereotypical coffeehouse troubadour. For one thing, she treats her guitar more like a drum than a stringed instrument; you won't find a lot of delicate finger-picking, but there's plenty of pounding chords and frantic, energized strumming. She's also very bleak and brooding in her approach; title track "Emerald," with its deep vocals and undercurrent of distortion, is less Jewel than PJ Harvey, despite its folk-flavored guitar strums, and "Sometimes" drenches Charlotte's vocals in reverb for a drugged out vibe that works well with the song's bleary electric guitar. Despite the album's bleaker, brooding qualities, hints of steely twang and warmly humming Rhodes pianos give "Jeans" an alternative country feel that vaguely recalls Lucinda Williams, while the gorgeous but understated "Silver" uses strings for an added sense of elegance. Dark enough for alternative rock fans while still employing the traditional arrangements and instruments of folk and Americana, Charlotte's work will especially appeal to similar crossover artists, and comes highly recommended to fans of Cowboy Junkies, Iron and Wine, and The Angels of Light.

Visit Frances Charlotte online at www.francescharlotte.com.