The Deep Field

VINYL FORMAT. Despite taking her cues from Sixties soul, while adding a more punkish contemporary ethic, Joan As Police Woman has a legitimate claim to occupy a unique space. Joan Wasser's alter ego has been too avant-garde to be claimed by a mainstream soul crowd; she's not scuffy or guitar-driven enough to be fawned over by indie kids. So, stuck in between the two camps, she just gets on with making timeless, affecting records. Existing fans take note though: the jazz-tinged, piano-heavy and string-drenched sounds of Real Life and To Survive - both criminally under-appreciated and rewarding of repeat listens - have taken a back seat on The Deep Field. Gone are the piano ballad torch songs - in their place comes a fuller, meatier ensemble with altogether darker aims. It never approaches rock territory as such - Wasser and musical partner Bryce Goggin are always delicate in their arrangements and performance - but it's clear from the off that we're going deep in Wasser's psyche and it's going to be bumpy ride. Also gone are Wasser's celebrity friends. Rufus Wainwright, Antony Hegarty and, bizarrely, David Sylvian of Japan and spectacular new wave haircut fame all featured on previous records. But they are not missed. This is gimmick-free: it's all Joan, no holds barred. It's slow music; grown-up, untrendy, anachronistic, white soul from the bottom of a wide open heart. Even if, as a whole, The Deep Field isn't quite as rewarding as Wasser's first two records, it's an altogether different, diverse and challenging experience. Thankfully, that voice remains intact: vulnerable but somehow powerful. – Drowned in Sound