Alexandra Savior – named “Savior” by her father following her survival after her mother was diagnosed with cervical cancer when pregnant – is set to release her debut effort Belladonna of Sadness to what would appear to be an ocean of already adoring fans. When a young girl, Savior survived the various teenage-kicks of school; between dodging bullies, she would listen to the records of The Velvet Underground, Nina Simone and Billie Holiday – all of which soundtrack the influences behind her enchanting vocals on this record.
Having moved to England following graduation, Savior’s records made their way into the hands of the A&R department at Columbia who quickly ushered her into a deal. Now, Belladonna of Sadness is the makings of that deal. Following from her True Detective sync with ‘Risk’, the album – which is co-written with Alex Turner following Savior’s work on The Last Shadow Puppets’ ‘Miracle Aligner’ – has already seen success with its singles that built a fanbase and brought a slew of early critical acclaim.
Album opener, ‘Mirage’ is a whistling Spaghetti-Western tinted number, Savior’s voice croon lyrics about the character Anna-Marie Mirage. Her vocals, that whistle around salsa-dancing guitars, croon: “I sing songs about whatever the fuck they want” making hooks and jabs at the recording industry. Other singles such as ‘Shades’ pose closer similarities to the work of The Last Shadow Puppets with those nose-diving guitar sounds and doo-wop tempos. This similarity and comparison to Turner is obviously unavoidable considering he holds half the co-writing credits but occasionally, Savior struggles to establish her own personality away from his. ‘Shades’ is not necessarily a bad song, Savior’s voice carries grace and smoothness but you begin to wonder how much of this is Savior guesting on a Puppets album.
‘Vanishing Point’ is a real standout on the album and certainly pays tribute to Savior’s influence by The Velvet Underground & Nico. Her whimsical voice hovers around light percussion and bewitching guitar that seems to wring off charms as it passes by. Savior’s voice holds the same hypnotic effect, not a lull but certainly a potent sedative that continues to slip you away. Her debut single ‘M.T.M.E’ rattles between The Dead Weather and PINS; her voice carries softness as it whispers the chorus: “Scribble down in pencil / Ten-track souvenir / Audio momento / Music to my ears” – a juxtaposing mood when laid upon the menacing soundscape.
The other big stitch that Savior occasionally struggles to undo from The Last Shadow Puppets is sewn by James Ford as seamster. His production duties have outlined the sound of Arctic Monkeys, The Last Shadow Puppets and Alex Turner since the dawn of his/their success. Ford’s production and guidance keeps it rigid and consistently rooted to the sound of Turner as evidenced by album closer ‘Mystery Girl’ that tries to wriggle loose. Ultimately though it becomes so preoccupied with those delayed guitars and 50s-rhythmical aesthetics that outlined much of last year’s Everything You’ve Come To Expect.
Away from the Turner and Ford links though, Belladonna of Sadness is a pleasant album. Whilst not original as such, and slightly underwhelming with how much it rests in Turner’s previous material, it is still good. ‘Bones’ carries more force than seen elsewhere on the album, the sharpness in the guitar pierces a new hole in the Belladonna of Sadness sound whereas ‘Cupid’ calms proceedings, resting on luscious melodies that allow Savior’s voice to find its full-footing. ‘Girlie’ too is a gorgeous gem that resides in those end-of-the-evening atmospherics, long seductive guitar lines certainly fall at the feet of Turner but are exquisite in how they set the mood for the track.
The slinkiest cut of the album arrives in the form of ‘Frankie’, a track that expands the sound of Belladonna of Sadness a little more. Rooted in jazz, the off-tempo percussion dances and toys with keys whilst jesting with guitar lines that sidestep through it. The grounding of the track comes in the bass though that occasionally oozes through the surface to tip its hat.
Belladonna of Sadness is by no means a bad album, it just carries too much of the personality of Sheffield’s most notorious musician. Is this what should be expected when you place such a character as the co-writer on the album? Perhaps. Nevertheless, the album evidences at times, such as on ‘Vanishing Point’ and ‘Frankie’, that Savior carries her own fantastic musicality too. Her voice is certainly one to be reckoned with, it carries originality and uniqueness where other vocalists fail, making up for the fact the music behind it doesn’t always find its own reflection in the mirror.
Tom Churchill
Website: alexandrasavior.com
Facebook: facebook.com/AlexandraSavior
Twitter: twitter.com/alexandrasavior