The unique vocals of Angel Olsen may be new to many of you but to any Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy fans you have probably already unsuspectingly heard her performing in Will Oldham’s ‘Cairo Gang‘ and on his 2011 release ‘Wolfroy Goes to Town’.
“Half Way Home” is Angel Olsen’s latest LP and follow-up to her 2011 debut ‘Strange Cacti’. Her voice is uniquely striking, unforgettable in the same way I felt upon hearing Karen Dalton for the first time. ‘Half Way Home’ gives those vocals a purer clarity than her original cassette debut and if anything heightens the wonder. There are few singers I can think of who have a voice that can move an audience so deep that you know they are touching something far more primal inside, it goes beyond words! The plaintive ‘Safe in the Womb’ is just one track of many on this release that Angel Olsen demonstrates her ability to turn any room to complete silence.
Fans have been begging for more more since ‘Strange Cacti’ but this goes way beyond any expectations, those road trips with Bonnie “Prince” Billy have paid off and Emmett Kelly (The Cairo Gang) helps her along the way on production, playing and harmonies. Her emotional warmth will win many more fans with this release, she is a remarkable and beautiful singer who has a timeless quality that will live well beyond the music of her peers. It’s discoveries like this which make my year!