| PJ Harvey It's too bad neither Muddy Waters nor Willie Dixon had a chance to hear Polly Jean Harvey's music. She could've made those old men blush and howl out for their glorious yesteryears. Harvey comes as close to tapping into the Mississippi Delta's mythic power line as anyone of her generation has. Yet rather than ride that cross-cultural force in the retro fashion which every nouveau-bluesnik foists upon it, To Bring You My Love wraps Polly's indigo soul in threads both modern and timeless, simultaneously recalling Joseph Campbell's sybolic wonder and Trent Reznor's sonic sprawl. If you're familiar with Harvey's two initial albums (Dry and Rid of Me), the only thing that'll startle you about To Bring You My Love is the lovely wash of gray noise that bleeds out of the overwhelming bass, permeating the record. The guitars and strings areno longer the only melodic life-givers; there is now an organ, some vibes, and whatever it is U2 producer Flood does but doesn't get credit for. And with the exception of "Meet Ze Monsta" and "Long Snake Moan," the songs don't ride withquite as much fervor either, instead carrying the feel of intense serenity-a constant calm before the storm without the eventual release. Ultimately, it is this epic quality that lifts Harvey above everyone she's ever been wrongly grouped with (i.e. blues appropriators, alterna-girls, femi-punks). To Bring You My Love sounds like a record naturally shaped by the forces of tradition and innovation, rather than justsome precisely crafted piece of pop dreck from the "next big thing" (in this case, believe the hype but not its messengers). This is why Polly Jean Harvey's own glorious years are still further up the road. --Peter Orlov |
