Horses and High Heels by Marianne Faithfull

Recorded primarily in New Orleans with Hal Willner, *Horses and High Heels* is a spellbinding record, filled with songs that track the course of time. The album begins with the Gutter Twins’ “Stations” and its dark heart is given perfect voice by Faithfull’s whiskey and nicotine growl. She’s never been one to shy from a challenge and she pursues the grace of R&B with a team of New Orleans veterans for Allen Toussaint’s “Back In Baby’s Arms” that cracks open with a lean toughness. R. B. Morris’ “That’s How Every Empire Falls” floats with a mournful undertow. Carole King’s “Goin’ Back” casts another impressive shadow in Faithfull’s catalog of watching the years pass. Her own sparkling original, “Why Did We Have to Part,” has a tight, modern sound with Faithfull’s voice in dry focus. Guests such as Lou Reed, Dr. John and the MC5’s Wayne Kramer pay their respects. But no one can upstage Faithfull. Her voice and the wisdom of her phrasings put her at center stage.

C

In a 2009 interview, Marianne Faithfull expressed a fervent hope “to find love soon.” Here’s hoping she doesn’t. As tragic and tumultuous as Faithfull’s life and career have been over the past 45 years, that’s only deepened her music’s eroded soulfulness. And enriched her voice, of course; on her new album, Horses And…

7.8 / 10

Marianne Faithfull’s new album begins with a particularly well-chosen cover. She kicks off Horses and High Heels with the…

Check out our album review of Artist's Horses and High Heels on Rolling Stone.com.

Produced by long-term collaborator Hal Willner, Marianne Faithfull's 19th studio album, Horses and High Heels, sees the '60s icon revisit eight classic songs from her heyday on her second consecutive covers-heavy album, following 2009's Easy Come Easy Go. Its 13 tracks include reworkings of the Shangri-Las' "Past, Present and Future," Lesley Duncan's "Love Song," and Dusty Springfield's "Goin' Back," alongside several new compositions ("Why Did We Have to Part," "The Old House") and guest appearances from Lou Reed, Dr. John and MC5's Wayne Kramer.

The album identifies Faithfull’s persistent ability to merge individual personality and musical connoisseurship.

8 / 10

Marianne Faithfull’s last record,Easy Come, Easy Go (2008), was an ambitious double album of covers that featured an extraordinary roll call of guest...

Marianne Faithfull's Horses and High Heels is heavy with world-weary pathos. Rating: * * *

6 / 10