Doris Brendel & Lee Dunham
Album: Not Utopia
Label: Sky Rocket
Tracks: 12
Website: http://www.dorisbrendel.com/

Before I kick off the review of "Not Utopia" a quick rhetorical question. Is it just me that gets irritated by faux radio tuning or general server type noise at the start of an album or song? Is it a recording trick that would go unlamented in its passing? Not really part of the review just an observation about not annoying your audience and Doris and Lee are by no means unique in deploying it.

I've reviewed Doris Brendel on these pages before, but this is the first time we've featured her since she's teamed up with Lee Dunham to bring us the "Not Utopia" album, which is a harder, more electric rock/pop album than most of the recordings we feature in these pages, for which we make no apology, more of a heads up really.

From the opening of the album, you are aware that this album, is going to make use of keyboards, effects pedals etc. More importantly you know that for the majority of time they are going to be used well to create a dramatic cascadance to help set the scene for the narrative, to give it that fuller sound.

For me though Brendel is at her best when she's giving her incredibly powerful voice full reign over the ballads. The slower pace gives her time to be more creative with instrument, delivering far more of the song, at times reminding me of a more aggressive, more angry and resentful Jennifer Warnes.

The album's called "Not Utopia" and it isn't unless your idea of Utopia is vastly different to mind and is more industrial than pastoral. It is an interesting and dynamic work that takes me out of my comfort zone and challenges some of my musical preconceptions. I'm more than happy to settle for that, sometimes it's good to step away from personal conventions.

Neil King