Who the hell is Sandy Dillon ? Is it a man or a woman ?
That's the sort of questions you must be asking yourself, and the
answer is: she's simply a raw talent as a singer and as a songwriter.
I've never heard anything quite like this album: the landscape sketched
by the band throughout is as haunting as can be, Sandy's rasping voice
is strangely beautiful, and the sheer diversity of the styles of music
writing is incredible.
In the 1980s, Sandy recorded two albums that were never released
because she was said to be 'ten years ahead of her time'. Ten years
later, I think she's still ahead of the mainstream. Her way of singing
'torch songs where the women don't get burnt' expresses a relief of
being unhappy which really is uncommon. The women of her songs are
no longer the loved ones, they are those who love, and they act passionately,
not scared of killing and accepting the consequences. She embodies
a whole philosophy of 'girl power' which is profound ( not like a
certain perception given by a terrible group called 'the spice girls'
) and not scared of being aggressive over the men they love.
The most striking element of this album though has to be the music
itself. Sandy never stops surprising us, track after track, with styles
ranging from the beautiful, dark, gothic blues 'Float', to pure and
simple rock 'n' roll in 'Too much fun'.
I can promise you one thing: you've never heard anything like this,
and you'll either love it or loathe it. I loved it.
Titou