Samson & Delilah

'Samson & Delilah' is not so much a re-emergence as a reinvention.
VV Brown (Vanessa to her friends), in her previous incarnation as
perpetrator of the execrable 2009 debut album 'Travelling Like The
Light', has bounced back after her sojourn in the land of haberdashery,
with a recording so distinctive and gob-smackingly good that I shall now
probably have to eat my hat, never having believed that the listening
world would ever be likely to hear from her again. This one is a winner.

Goodness knows what's happened to Ms Brown's voice. It hardly seems
possible listening to these eleven songs that it can be the same artist.
Out with the scrappy soul/R&B; pastiche; in with the surreal quasi-operatic
soundscapes and blisteringly good vocal performances. It's wonderfully
weird stuff; just a little bit West End in its genes but with a twist of
something a tad more edgy and unpredictable in its blood and teeth
and bones. There's drama here in rich abundance and it's got me hooked.

From the widescreen grandiosity of opening track 'Substitute For Love'
and the dark and drafty corridors of 'Looking For Love' (a real stunner!);
via the odd nod and wink to Grace Jones provided by the frisky 'The Apple';
to the bleak but emotionally stirring conclusion 'Beginning', Ms Brown kept me
totally enthralled. I had not the slightest inkling of what might happen next!

By any standard known to man or beast this is extraordinary stuff.

Suddenly I'm a believer!

Highly Recommended.

What a revelation! Sounds like Annie Lennox and Grace Jones fronting Portishead! A far cry from her earlier stuff. Highly recommended.

I loved the singles from the first album but, let's be honest, the album as a whole was a let-down, which makes the re-invention and reinvigoration of VV Brown on this album all the more remarkable.

This has got to be one of the bravest, boldest and most cutting-edge pop albums I've ever heard. The production is superb, with rumbling bass, bleeps and blips, and great percussion. Topping it all off is the vocals, which is what really makes the album, having been fed through all sorts of effects, giving each track its own personality.

It doesn't really sound like any of these artists, but when I listen I hear bits of Grace Jones, Julia Holter, Laurie Anderson, Joan Armatrading and Bjork. But at heart it's still a pop album, just a very, very ambitious one. Hats off to Miss Brown.

Saw this young lady perform on Jools Holland and bought the CD, unbelievably nowadays but a Unique sound and artist! Thoroughly recommended "The Apple" is a stand out track for Me! Buy this NOW