the 31 best of 2007 – 29: Tracey Thorn – Out Of The Woods

As a long time fan of Everything But the Girl, I was really pumped to find out Tracey was releasing a solo record. Her voice is extremely beautiful and haunting, and I was curious to see what direction she would take with her solo effort.

After getting Out of the Woods,I wasn’t initially impressed; there were few songs that I liked, but nothing that really stood out as fantastic to me. However, after several listens, and after paying this record the attention it deserves, I fell in love with the nuanced performances Tracey delivers.

She manages to transform the trip-hop/electro sound that made Everything But The Girl a favorite of mine into her own statement. Her voice guides you through a story-telling landscape that speaks to sadness and longing; and paints a portrait that only her voice could. She is like a more sullen Annie Lennox; and it totally works.

If you are a fan of the later stuff Everything But the Girl did, especially the record Temperamental, I think that you will find that Tracey was obviously involved with crafting that sound. On Out of the Woods, she takes what she learned, and crafts her own melodic fairytale, and brings down mood quite a bit. The result is an almost rain-soaked journey through a trip-hop inspired storybook. If this is what Tracey can do on her own, I am looking forward to future solo efforts.

Favorite songs from Out of the Woods:
Here it Comes Again, Grand Canyon, Nowhere Near, and By Piccadilly Station I Sat Down and Wept, Raise the Roof.

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