Anna Calvi
Anna Calvi cultivated her talents as a girl in England, listening to her parents’ Maria Callas, Debussy, and Ravel records. Later she gravitated from her violin playing to guitar, listening to (and learning from) masters like Jimi Hendrix and Django Reinhardt. Her music is rich with drama, calling up touchstones like Ray Orbison, PJ Harvey, and her idol, Edith Piaf. Genres like flamenco, goth, and the blues—plus cinematic influences like James Bond theme songs and the dark visions of David Lynch—are also apparent. After becoming her fan (and unofficial mentor), Brian Eno joined her in the studio to record backup vocals on two of the strongest tracks: “Desire” and “Suzanne & I.” The album is produced by PJ Harvey producer and collaborator Rob Ellis. Calvi\'s best when she shepherds her disparate influences and powerful, intense voice into the rock arena, as she does on the tracks mentioned above and on the galloping “Blackout” and the spaghetti western–spiced “I’ll Be Your Man.” Nick Cave asked Calvi to join him on Grinderman’s 2010 tour, and a finer double bill is hard to imagine.
Co-produced by Rob Ellis and recorded in London and France, Anna Calvi’s debut is an astonishingly confident record; the unique strengths of her songwriting, singing and guitar playing all jumping out of the speaker together. The ghosts of Nina Simone and Maria Callas lurk in the corners of Calvi’s muse, as does the classical romanticism of Ravel and Debussy, a set of disparate influences informing Calvi’s thoroughly modern music.
From a lineage that includes Edith Piaf and PJ Harvey-- and with celeb fans like Brian Eno and Nick Cave-- this goth-pop singer makes her debut.
Citing the likes of Debussy, Captain Beefheart, and Nina Simone as her main influences, it's clear from the outset that Anna Calvi isn't your average, run-of-the-mill singer/songwriter.
Anna Calvi’s mix of atmospherics and virtuoso guitar have won her fans in Nick Cave and Brian Eno. Only the third woman to ever sign to Domino, Calvi’s debut album is assured and strangely camp.
<strong>Maddy Costa </strong>finds Anna Calvi's debut to be heavy on carnality but light on emotion