Eliza Carthy – Angels And Cigarettes

Twenty-four-year-old vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Eliza Carthy usually performs traditional fare with her parents, English folk music icons Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson, as a member of the trio Waterson/Carthy. On Angels And Cigarettes, the daughter goes her own way and takes on nine originals and one modern cover to conjure up that rare album where every song catches the listener unawares.

The cover tune is the title track from Paul Weller’s 1993 solo album Wild Wood, a brooding ballad that fits right in with Carthy’s eclectic sound, which combines natural acoustics with ambient electronics. Subtle rhythms percolate behind her sweetly swinging fiddle on the opening “Whispers Of Summer”, while “Beautiful Girl” features an arresting, almost techno-beat backing, yet still lightly soars thanks to Carthy’s melodic singing.

The words she sings are often sparkling with detail and unpredictable. The jazzy “Whole” contains these delightfully sensual lyrics: “I could climb all the way inside you/And be you for a day/Sliding around inside you/You are so big/So beautiful and so mine/If only I could be you all the time.”

In stark contrast to this warm coziness, Carthy mischievously introduces “The Company Of Men” with the bold but ultimately sad line, “I’ve given blow jobs on couches to men who didn’t want me anymore.” Surprisingly, such a startling revelation doesn’t overwhelm the song’s harp-stringed prettiness or poignancy.

Like the clashing concepts in its title, Angels And Cigarettes throws together styles and genres that could be a difficult mix. Instead, Carthy makes it utterly beguiling, and ends up with an early contender for year-end best-of lists.