Search - Amy Millan :: Honey from the Tombs

A listenable, albeit different solo outing

Cloud | Canada | 06/30/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have to be completely honest in that I think Amy Millan is probably one of my favorite female songwriters right now. Writing love songs without sounding generic or formulaic and a stunningly ethereal voice, she quickly became my favorite out of the "Broken Social Scene" trio which features Emily Haines (Metric) and Leslie Feist. So with a solo outing, does she continue on a Stars-sounding route? Well no since solo projects allow you to be different than your regular band and here we get straight up folk songwriting. Amy's voice is best backed by big epic arrangements and when stripped down, things still do come through although maybe not on the level Stars fans are used to.



The album starts out with many Amy's voice and an acoustic guitar on "Losin' You" and it's appropriate for what you'll hear. It's a nice song although very short and doesn't captivate so much as it entertains. One of the best tracks on the record is next as "Skinny Boy" has Amy almost doing a breathy kind of vocal in parts. My one complaint is that it sounds too "busy" as there's lots of tiny overdubs and such and it becomes almost cluttered. Another single, "Baby I" might sound too Grand Ole Opry-esque and it would've benefited on maybe a stronger beat but it's at least quite charming and a weird little sing along.



The record isn't completely quiet as a song like "Headsfull" is quite bluesy and rocking like something that might've been done from the 70's. It may not be catchy but at least it sounds fun. The album stumbles afterwards as "Hard Hearted" is kind of slow and almost boring to listen to while I can't get images of Hee Haw-watching, slack jawed yokels whenever I hear "Blue in Yr Eye". "Come Home Loaded Roadie" is quite the oddball as its main instrumentation is organs and Amy's voice. It probably won't stay in your head long but you like hearing it when it's on.



"Wayward and Parliament" is kind of compelling to listen to even though it's rather simplistic. With Amy's vocals, sporadic instrumentation, trumpets and a weird shift in tempo, it holds your attention even though you have no clue where it's going. "All the Miles" is probably one of my favorite tracks with its blues solo intro and great beat, it's one of the more enjoyable tracks. Just like the opener, the closer "Pour Me Up Another" is an acoustic track although this one's more gentle and intimate. It has that songwriter feel where it's not poppy but it's just really nice to listen to and I like the horn backing melody as well.



This is kind of a difficult record to listen to. Not that it's alienating and lacking melodies and hooks, but rather it's such a 180 from Stars that it's hard to adjust that voice with banjos. Pianos sure but slide dobros? Hm but in any case, Amy fans can find something to like here even though it's musically different than what you might hear from her but that don't make it a bad thing."