Albums
Strange Weather - EP
2014
Genre: Alternative
Release Date: 2014
By Stephen Deusner
Reviewed July 22, 2014
Anna Calvi's new EP, which features five new covers, sounds like an extension of her debut single, 2010’s “Jezebel”. Calvi takes on songs by FKA twigs, Connan Mockasin, Suicide, and others; David Byrne guests.
, an EP featuring five new covers, sounds like an extension of Anna Calvi’s debut single, 2010’s “Jezebel”, which remains arguably her best song and certainly a deft means of introduction to her commanding voice. Originally a hit for Frankie Laine in 1951, it’s been covered often in various languages and genres, although most versions gently reinforce the song’s matter-of-fact pop sexism. Borrowing from Edith Piaf’s cover (“c’était toi!”), Calvi turns the song into a flamenco rock aria, her voice soaring accusatorily and her guitar providing sinister commentary. With its emotions blown up to operatic scale, “Jezebel” plays less like a woman-baiting lament and more like a powerful fanfare. Calvi may sing in second person, but she embraces the role of Jezebel as one of immense power.