Stark and Soulful
In pop music, truly unique voices tend to come in cycles: the ruggid, textured voice of Tom Waits, the ethereal and resonating sound of Ian Curtis. Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons) possesses such a voice. It is one that brings tremendous character and wrought to his incredibly androgynous, haunting album, I Am A Bird Now.Antony creates simple, yet affecting tales of loss and devotion. His voices rises and falls with the passion of Jeff Buckley and the eeriness of Will Oldham. “Hope There is Some one” is a soulful ballad that ends in a swirl of pianos and vocal harmonies. “My Lady Story” elegantly follows suit with a more somber tone and a more consistent use of backing vocals. “For Today I am a Boy” may be the most rewarding track on the album. The lyrics “One day I’ll grow up and be a beautiful girl/For today I am a child/For today a boy” play off of Antony’s androgynous persona with a passionate, gospel-like performance.
Antony also gets a little help from his friends throughout the album. Boy George accompanies him on the gorgeous quasi-inspirational “You are My Sister.” Rufus Wainwright provides the sultry lead on “What Can I Do.” Lou Reed revisits the sound of his Berlin years with a hushed and moody spoken word intro on “Fistful of Love.”
Like all of those unique voices that have become before him, Antony exudes a very strong character in his voice. With its stark honesty I Am A Bird Now is one of the most genuine and beautiful albums of the year.
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