A Bright Star
Anni Rockwell has a self-assured and charismatic air about her; the young American singer is a classically trained multi-instrumentalist who has conducted orchestras and has been performing solo now for several years. ‘Rockwell’ was recorded with Steve Albini and gives tracks from her existing set a chance to influence music fans the world over. Anni’s originality comes over immediately; her frequent use of the viola is innovative and intriguing, ranging from a rhythmical beat to a crazed, frantic melodic device on, ‘The West Coast’ which is overwrought with scrambling string scraping. On ‘Living In Danger’ the viola seesaws gently to create a clockwork rhythmic effect that’s very catchy and highly endearing. It was originally an Ace of Base song but is now changed beyond recognition into a folk-style tune.
Rossi’s vocals come across especially well on tracks like, ‘Las Vegas’ which uses the viola to provide a hollow rhythm over which the careening vocals float easily. Her tone is rich, soulful and flighty with a slightly manic edge à la Ani di Franco. ‘Venice’ is a wonderful piece of interpretative music; it’s easy to tell from the oppressive aching strings with a note of discordance and menacing vocals which city is the subject of the tune straight away. ‘Glaciers’ shows the depths of Anni’s curious mind with the refrain, “I like freezer boxes” and a gorgeous pulsing backing that seems to match the icey landscape.
Rossi’s tunes all have an earthy, free, organic edge to them with new instruments and melodies developing all the time under the careful control of this talented and bright singer. Having already supported The Ting Tings and Electrelane as a solo artist, it seems that Rossi’s career prospects should definitely be on the rise as her unique personality seems to bubble through her work and give each tune a new charm.