- Release date:
- February 5, 2008
- Artist/Band name:
- Basia Bulat
- Record label:
- Rough Trade
- Official Web Site:
- http://www.basiabulat.com/
- Overall User Rating:
-
(0 ratings)
Why you should care: Peppered with hand claps, piano twinkles and unpredictable arrangements, "Oh My Darling" arrives with a significant amount of positive press under its belt, partially thanks to its release overseas in late 2007. Bulat isn't the kind of singer-songwriter who only opens for radio-friendly, groan-worthy acts like OneRepublic or Maroon 5; she's shared the stage with far more credible artists like Sondre Lerche and Loney, Dear.
Verdict: Bulat is not exactly, as claimed on her MySpace page, "More fun than your very own pony!" She is, however, a singer who doesn't complacently churn out samey songs that will all put you to sleep. Sure, a passive listen to some tunes on "Oh My Darling" (like "December") may help you drift off, but you'd be missing out on the delightful, ukelele-driven intro of "Before I Knew," the string-section complements of "Snakes and Ladders," or the powerful "I Was a Daughter," which quiets down only to come charging back like the resurgence of a painful memory. Variety, as it turns out, does have a place on an acoustic pop disc.
X-Factor: Occasionally a hint of a warble pops up in her voice—if anyone sonically reminds us of Shakira, even for a second, it's not a good thing. What is always a good thing though, is a reminder of Nicolas Cage's unintentionally hilarious remake of "The Wicker Man," which you'll recall when seeing drummers in the video for "In the Night" roaming the forest in full-body bear suits.
