CD Review

If you’ve ever wondered what the combination of Beth Gibbons, Tori Amos, a soft Dresden Dolls, and an avant-garde art-house musician would sound like, wonder no longer: My Brightest Diamond is the answer. Essentially comprised of vocalist Shara Worden (but backed by skilled musicians, including her father), My Brightest Diamond’s debut, Bring Me The Workhorse combines a fairly straightforward pop sensibility with tinges of operatic training, reasonably experimental instrumental exploration, and whimsical lyrical musings – all of which combine to form a listenable, if pleasingly distinctive, album.

Less aggressive than Amos and less overtly despondent than Gibbons, with a classical training to match Amos’ piano skills, Worden’s airy vocals are amply complemented by the dark pop musings of her backing band, the product of which seems to exist to give her voice freedom to roam. Ranging from orchestral accompaniment to typical “rock” balladry, Bring Me The Workhorse takes the listener on a satisfying romp through what can only be described as an art-house musical journey, introducing new sounds with alacrity and certainty – at no point seeming either overly precocious nor tentative. Indeed, with Bring Me The Workhorse, one can’t help but feel that one has stumbled into a “scene” far too hip for oneself, but that has much to offer. It is with this feeling that this album leaves a person; it is a feeling both uncomfortable and somehow thrilling, as if one has stumbled upon a music that is unique and worth further exploration.