Loene Carmen - It Walks Like Love

LOENE CARMEN
IT WALKS LIKE LOVE

Australian singer/songwriter Loene Carmen's fourth album hits the stores this month. While it was recorded in Sydney under the watchful eye of producer Burke Reid (The Drones, Jack Ladder, Mess Hall), it sounds - as with her previous offering - like a slice of genuine Americana.

The first single to be plucked from it, garage-soul duet Oh Apollo!, is a playful paean to New York's Apollo Theatre and perhaps a nod to Carmen's admiration of the collaborations between Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan, with her breathy vocal juxtaposed by the deep grumble of Mess Hall's Jed Kurzel.

Plenty of other familiar characters turn up, including members of Holy Soul and The Scare. Tex Perkins also lends his voice, while Carmen also employed the talent that lies within her own family, with father Peter Head on piano and Bridezilla's Holiday Sidewinder (Carmen's fittingly talented daughter) adding some delicious vocals.

The frighteningly catchy chorus of Mimic The Rain sees Carmen at her poppiest. "If you want your garden to grow/You've got to mimic the rain," she tells us. By the second time you hear it, you'll be singing along as if you'd known it your whole life. You'd think such a delightful slice of pop would be the highlight of the record, but even better is to come with the thoughtful Gauloises Blue. As the song approaches its climax, rather than hollering her lungs out as many artists may have done, Carmen's voice barely raises above a gasped whisper. Then ooh and aahs accompany frenzied guitars and delicate piano to bring the song to a dizzying finish.

Sultry vocals and intelligent lyrics continue to intertwine with raw guitars throughout the ten tracks, and the quality never dips, even for the slightest second. It Walks Like Love is a truly outstanding record and, with it, Loene Carmen has not only created her finest piece of work to date, but also one of the albums of the year.