Abigail Hopkins
Smile Road
Possessed Records

Abigail Hopkins' debut comes wrapped in intriguing beats and has strong lyrics. Her voice is powerful as well. "Street Angel" is abstract trip-hop about a lost soul. Hopkins' vocal is nicely contrasted by Mick Watson's spoken word delivery.

The spooked "Big Clouds Looming" is like something from Björk's latest album. Hopkinsâ?T voice spins around itself in an inspired fashion. The bluesy title track is great. Hopkins and Watson join together on vocals in a very compelling way. There are some playful touches that lighten up the song.

The gorgeous "Love is Not The owning of" has dramatic strings and throbbing beats to add to its allure. "Sophisticated Goodbye" is like a forties-era jazz ballad. Hopkins is quite adept at that style too.

Smile Road is an arresting record that deserves to be heard.

Copyright © 2003 Anna Maria Stjärnell