Reworked albums can vary in quality yet under the right circumstances, have the potential to be as interesting as the original material, the Cinerama version of Wedding Present long player ‘Valentina’ case in point. Saying that, Anna Calvi’s music has always pushed away at the outer creases of the envelope, each of her three daring records to date receiving Mercury nominations, making Ms Calvi the first solo artist to achieve this feat.
There’s also the small matter of her thrillingly intense live performance, not forgetting a pretty alluring array of guests recruited here on ‘Hunted’, adding their touches in helping Calvi reprise seven of the ten deeply confessional tracks on ‘Hunter’.
On first listen one is left wondering whether Calvi could perhaps have ventured further from the original ‘Hunter’ recordings, despite many ‘Hunted’ reworkings being stripped-back, particularly in respect to percussion. I guess it’s for every listener to make up their own mind in turn although on reflection, ‘Hunted’ arguably constitutes a case of unfinished business for the London born music graduate, taking advantage of an opportunity to denude some of the soundscapes created on ‘Hunted’ whilst enlisting the help of others on some but not all of her modifications.
Luxuriant opener ‘Swimming Pool’ is this time adorned with delicate harmonies, aided by North American singer songwriter Julia Holter, the results proving somewhat woozier and expansive than its ‘Hunter’ counterpart. Title track ‘Hunter’, shorn of its precious percussive impetus is all the better for it in a less-is-more kind of way, the fervour carried into Calvi’s reshaping of ‘Eden’ including an appearance by Charlotte Gainsbourg, the tension ramping up once more.
Pulling out the plug on ‘Away’ gives the ‘Hunted’ incarnation a kind of demo feel, the vocal swathed in dreamlike echo, Calvi appearing to try and be barely heard at all. ‘Don’t Beat the Girl out of My Boy’s primal androgyny is maintained despite being pruned of percussion whilst Courtney Barnett chips in with understated antipodean vocal. ‘Hunter’s’ most discernibly different track is “Wish”, its lengthy shuffling intro replaced by the dulcet tones of Idles frontman Joe Talbot, running in the opposite direction to its rock-out predecessor before a frenzied claustrophobic reworking of ‘Indies or Paradise’ sends the listener heading for the nearest cold shower.
Words - Mike Price
Anna Calvi official
Hunted Tracklisting..
1. Swimming Pool (feat. Julia Holter)
2. Hunter
3. Eden (feat. Charlotte Gainsbourg)
4. Away
5. Don’t Beat The Girl Out Of My Boy (feat. Courtney Barnett)
6. Wish (feat. Joe Talbot/IDLES)
7. Indies Or Paradise
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