Sarah Blasko’s smoky vocals have garnered her praise from her native Australia, and she’s using them to enchant U.S. audiences with her third album, As Day Follows Night.
Blasko’s wistful narrative of love’s aftermath begins in the stage that dawns just as the sobbing stops and the analysis starts.
“Down On Love” is a song about a self-guided escape from the dumps of an aching heart. The ambling piano is a whimsical complement to the song’s dreamy up-and-down melody.
A rich array of instruments is a boon to the haunting collection of songs, which feature tinkling hi-hat, no dearth of piano and what sounds like a howling musical saw on the dusty “All I Want.”
She sings:
“I don’t want another partner, so don’t try and break the spell
I can’t even understand me, so don’t think that you can help
When I say things and see things, there’s no way on earth to tell
what I want/ what I want/ what I want
Cuz I don’t even know myself”
The stern “No Turning Back” gives way to the heated “Lost & Defeated.”
The subtle shifts in emotion in some cases make one track sound indistinct from another, but Blasko’s honest lyrics make the disc worth a listen.
Aside from having an utterly enchanting voice, Blasko is fearless in her vulnerability. She acknowledges the pain of letting go of love against her own wishes on “I Never Knew,” making her all the more endearing.
Melanie Sims reviews music for the Associated Press
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.