First impressions can be deceptive. Though surrounded by extremely slick and professional packaging, this debut release by local singer and songwriter Chloe Hall looks dangerously like an album of late-night cocktail lounge jazz, complete with monochromatic minimalism and plentiful black feathers. It’s apparent within seconds of pressing play, though, that the music that lies within is a different proposition entirely.
A seven track mini-album, White Sky plays like a virtual handbook on how to approach a singer/songwriter record. Originally recorded by Drew Stansbury, the tracks here have been embellished and reworked by producer Jonathan Burnside, who’s been busily destroying speakers across the country with his work on Grinspoon’s current record. Don’t expect high-volume rock here, though – the lush audio that backs these songs is warm, evocative and spacious, in many cases electronically-driven, but with the technology used wisely, never distracting form the songs themselves. There are some familiar names playing here, too – Peter Luscombe on drums, George Servanis on drums and Michael Allen on bass among them – but there’s no show-off musicianship going on here. The strength of this record is in the songs, and all seven here are memorable.
Opening with an atmospheric title track that plays like an aural movie, the policy on White Sky is to throw in as many memorable melodies as possible, the terms of reference here leaning towards Sarah McLachlan’s early, darker work – Solace in particular – as well as Tori Amos’s recent journeys into technology. With the listener’s attention solidly grabbed by the opener’s rich visual canvas, Nothing to Lose adds kinetic rhythm to the mix, resulting in an instantly-memorable pop song that would be perfectly at home on radio. Under My Skin takes this pop sensibility along with the atmospherics of the opening track and adds the shimmer of widescreen keyboards and plentiful reverb, while gentle ballad Falling in Love Again keeps it simple and lets its chorus do the talking. And in case you were wondering what Chloe can do without the aid of lush production, Light and Shade’s vocal-only delivery will answer them. The jaunty loop-powered Jumping In is less successful than rest of the songs here, but that’s largely because it’s the only thing on the disc that sounds under-developed; the perfectly subtle closing track Bring it Home more than makes up for it.
While it’s not going to turn the heads of those who prefer their music confrontational, White Sky is an eye-opening record that oozes quality, particularly in the songwriting department. Some unusual mix decisions make this an occasionally unconventional listening experience in headphones, but regardless, this independent offering is of a far higher quality – both technically and artistically – than most of the major label offerings within this genre. It’s a record that deserves to be noticed, and with songs like this to do the talking, it undoubtedly will be.
Anthony Horan, January 2000
