The term quirky singer-songwriter can have good connotations, y’know. Anni Rossi is a fair example of this, and with ‘Afton’ - her debut EP – she makes her first unique imprint onto the world of music. These six tracks are her story so far – a taster before the debut album follows in 2009 which leaves you thinking of similarly nutty women like Bjork and Joanna Newsome.
Rossi’s vocal style is something I’m calling ‘Folkelling.’ It’s as if there is someone repeatedly prodding her when she sings, so that several words come out as shrieks in and amongst a more conventional melody. It gives the music an overall feel of demented Natalie Imbruglia, which strangely isn’t a bad thing.
The whole EP is kind of awkward, with an element of shy girl letting loose. The viola gives it a rustic feel. There is range from the building up style of ‘Wheelpusher’ to the lonely lament of ‘Central Utah.’ There’s something playful and naïve about these songs, which on the whole are hard to put into words. It’s the childlike charms of Regina Spektor going through a difficult puberty.
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This is our introduction to a performer with her own style, and one which she had plenty of room to move around in. She has a style that is hard to pigeon-hole, and one with plenty of room for manoeuvre. Quirky hasn’t sounded this enticing for a while.
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