Kristin Hersh reviewed
Kristin Hersh
Learn To Sing Like A Star
(Yep Roc)
Where do broken voices go? Can they find the way home?
Kristin Hersh’s voice is in tatters these days, even though it’s not as if she has run it ragged with the Throwing Muses reunion. It also sets an ironic counterpoint to the title and cover shot of Learn To Sing Like A Star — Hersh isn’t selling out to anyone or walking on all fours. Instead Sing is one raspy-assed kiss-off after the next, her voice so raw you could almost swear there’s a problem with your speakers. Hersh took over almost all the responsibilities on this amped-up, Spinane-ian effort, and it’s hard to pick a song that scrapes the soul more than the one before it. If we were playing favorites however, “Winter” digs its fingernails into your forearms (“You have to fight/the harsh blows dealt you in your short life”) and gives a little tug before releasing its grip.
— Steve Forstneger
