Karen Elson - The Ghost Who Walks

Fuck me, that Jacko Blacko's missus is well tidy. I do apologise for being a little coarse & Northern but....she's a RIGHT flamin' foxy minx & a half. Trouble is, as well as being a tottering model type, she's a sultry dynamite vocalist too. Sassy, slinky & soulful her voice is, spreading itself seductively over a funky, swaying blues-noir & country-rock backing on her debut XL album. There's a hearty retro vibe abound throughout these 12 numbers, with strong country-esque moods plus some subtle swing & music hall elements, but it ain' t tainted with that...staleness & foisty air of hollow theatre in which dwell many artists, all currently floundering in shallow streams of desperate nostalgia, content in the knowledge there's an vacuous audience ready-made to lap it up. 'Stolen Roses' does steal from a certain Mr. Cave & Ms. Minogue in style but there's definitely an air of grandeur & class to the songs here, plus a healthy soupçon of diversity. Plus her band look nearly as cool as her! Nice...