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March 1997, Baby Sue
The Cranes are a band that takes getting used to. The group is led by the brother and sister team of Alison and Jim Shaw. Alison's vocals are so peculiar that your first reaction may be negative, but give this group a chance because they write some absolutely beautiful, moody pop tunes. Population Four, the band's latest CD, contains a good deal of soft, acoustic based material as well as more upbeat stuff. After listening to the entire disc, I prefer the band's softer side...tunes like "Tangled Up" and "Stalk" have an odd twist that makes them sound better with repeated listenings. Seeing the band play live recently (March 7, 1997), I became aware of what a large following they have (I don't tend to follow radio airplay and things of that nature). By the time The Cranes came out, they had a very devoted audience at the stage that was very familiar with their material. Alison is an odd girl. She's very small, and wears her hair in such a way that it looks like a tangled mass of dog fur. Jim is much more subdued, letting his sister be the main focal point of the band. This particular show was the first of a string of concerts to promote the new CD, so that's where a good deal of the material came from. The band very accurately reproduced their recorded sound in concert. After being exposed to the new CD and show, Alison's vocals don't bother now...and I can appreciate the band more than ever.
Rating: 4 out of 6
© Babysue - March1997
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