In a post last year I wanted to gush about Joan As Policewoman's song "The Ride." I wanted to tell the story of the mysterious concert bootleg cassette that arrived in my mailbox about 10 years ago featuring a performance by Black Beetle, the band Joan Wasser formed with Jeff Buckley's ex bandmates, which was recorded at the first Buckley birthday memorial. I wanted to explain my surprise then at how good and deep Black Beetle were, how Wasser's low croon reminded me of a cross between Chrissy Hynde and Billie Holiday, how stunned I was to hear those songs and that voice coming from the woman I had previously only known as Jeff Buckley's girlfriend and the violinist from The Dambuilders. I wanted to explain my relief, after Black Beetle fizzled without releasing a studio record, to find Wasser fronting a band again under the name Joan as Policewoman and releasing the exquisitely realized Real Life.
I wanted to say all of those things and more. But all I could manage was: this song is more Sade than Sade. And now, as she prepares to release new album To Survive, I still don't have anything to add. Just listen.
I mean... the woman can purr.
Joan As Policewoman - "Start of My Heart" [From To Survive] mp3
Joan As Policewoman - "Eternal Flame" [From Real Life] mp3
3 comments:
This blog is a class act. Thank you!
is there any way for me to hear that black beetle tape? do you have it digitized?
-david
dp at palay display dot com
Hi - I'm a huge Black Beetle fan - I know, the band broke up 10 years ago, but I'd love to hear a specific song if you have it... I recorded about 4 bootlegs and saw them a bunch of times, but they
only played this song once ("The Fountain of Youth" or "I Miss My Friend"?).
I've been looking for it for years! Also, "The Banks" was really good. Any chance you still have that recording? Cheers!
kofiwcbonner@aol.com
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