Dayton Daily News
Recordings on Review
RECORDINGS ON REVIEW
Dayton Daily News (DA) - FRIDAY, May 5, 1995
By: KEVIN AMORIM, Dayton Daily News
Edition: CITY Section: GO! Page: 17
Word Count: 223
PJ Harvey : TO BRING YOU MY LOVE
Island
Twenty-five-year-old Polly Jean Harvey exposed herself, figuratively and every other
way on the 1992 debut, Dry, for which she removed her clothes for the back-cover shot.
Through all the personal drama, beginning with her first stateside hit, Sheela-Na-Gig , in
which, strangely enough, Harvey wails about a woman accused of exhibitionism by her lover,
and most recently on To Bring You My Love , she exposes more about her shy British bumpkin
self.
When last anyone heard from Harvey, it was on 1993's starkly masterful 4-Track Demos, a
vocal-heavy handful of new songs with previously recorded material. It was all PJ, who'd
earlier jettisoned her two bandmates. In essence, To Bring You My Love is a solo album as
well - recorded with studio hands. Still, whether she's growling ( Meet Ze Monsta ) or
shimmering ( The Dancer ), Harvey's asset, her voice, is on top.
The fuzz-laden Meet Ze Monsta , with its ``Big/ Black/ Monsoon'' refrain, would make
erstwhile producer Steve Albini (1993's Rid of Me ) proud. Some acoustic spookiness on
C'mon Billy and twinkling chimes on Teclo belie the album's underlying roughness, just as
tomboy PJ's emotions yet again filter to the surface.
Copyright (c) 1995, Dayton Newspapers Inc.
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