Danielle Spencer - Calling All Magicians
Review by Jack Foley
AUSTRALIAN songstress Danielle Spencer releases her UK debut album Calling All Magicians with mixed results.
Arriving amid the type of publicity that suggests she’s the new Regina Spektor, thanks to her honey-soaked vocals, generally breezy melodic style and piano reliance, she reveals herself to be every bit an artist in the Spektor mould.
Alas, it’s a strength and a weakness… a welcome comparison as well as an obvious turn-off. To say that she could also easily slide onto the soundtrack of an American TV show such as Brothers & Sisters and Grey’s Anatomy is also a blessing and a curse.
Spencer certainly has a strong set of vocals. On songs like On Your Side, Wish I’d Been Here and nicely layered album opener Just A Thought she displays an effortless appeal: bouncy melodies combining nicely with heartfelt, personal vocals.
She’s less successful at mixing her sound and drawing on darker elements, with the varying tones of tracks like The Broken Ones and Citizen failing to convince that this is where her biggest talent lies.
You could argue that during such moments she evokes comparisons with the edgier approach of artists such as Kate Bush, but such moments test the patience.
Nevertheless, Spencer does enough to remain an endearing prospect for anyone who discovers her on these shores. Her album was produced by the legendary Tony Visconti, who has worked with some of the most famous albums of the last 40 years, by the likes of David Bowie, T Rex, Iggy Pop, Thin Lizzy, Morrissey and Sparks.
He says of her her: “Danielle was described to me as a cross between Kate Bush and David Bowie. She’s got this beautiful pure voice and I knew I was dealing with someone who was a great writer.”
Coming from such an acclaimed [and respected] industry expert, it’s high praise indeed and difficult to entirely disagree.
Download picks: Just A Thought, On Your Side, Wish I’d Been Here, Fade To Black
Track listing: