British singer, guitarist and songwriter Anna Calvi made her stormy debut in 2011 with a self-titled album. She presented herself as an intense performer (in the traditions of Nick Cave and PJ Harvey) in a collection of brooding and dark rock songs. Successor One Breath also knows that intensity, but this time Calvi sought out the breadth much more, leading to more melody, theater and experiment,
… but also to changeability. The dry pulsating electronics of Piece By Piece, for example, are a long way from the bombastic sixties pop of the single Eliza. Where her debut was dominated by a primary trio of drums, bass and guitar, each song now has its own interpretation. The title track, for example, is adorned by Debussy-like strings, while the classical-looking Sing To Me looks like an aria from an opera by Leonard Bernstein. Calvi is still a carried performer and often seems to express her deepest and darkest soul stirrings. She can do that convincingly, but as a whole, One Breath is a bit too much of a mix of styles. (MR)more
