a review by Nat Bourgon
January 25th, 2014
Wisdom,
sophistication and truth: An array of qualities that work together in
syncopation to reveal not only what we love about music, but also why we turn
to it. These qualities ally together seamlessly
on ‘Fates”, the exquisite debut solo offering from twenty-five year old
multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Johanna Warren.
Moody and
provocative with a flair for subtle experimentation, “Fates” creates a stirring
ambience that is brisk but never broken. Warren’s songs walk the line between the soothing
light of dreaminess and the scars of reality that come from being brave enough
to experience, feel and truly live. Warren is a peerless guitarist. She voyages
through varying paths unpredictably, yet clings to her tight melodic
inclinations with perpetual aim and intention. Johanna Warren’s croon is at once angelic and earthy.
Her colourful, sincere vocal
enunciations hover over the minimal, intimate instrumentation with an easygoing,
inobtrusive glow.
Opener “Both
Words” is a masterful display for Warren’s affinity for songwriting. A cool, breezy
texture is delightfully contrasted with Warren’s dark-tinged words. The song is
fleshed out with the inclusion of some sleepy, lulling piano flourishes
courtesy of Bella Blasko. On standout “My Storm”, there is ingenuity in the way Warren’s
acoustic guitar picking conjures a complex emotional landscape, that is equally
apprehensive and serene. “To the Bone”
is a hopeful, restorative illumination, which attests to the earthquake-like
jolt of love: the way love impacts and affects us. Warren’s playful clarinet leaps about
purposefully, adding smidgens of warmth and joyousness to the tune. The presence
of her flute, especially on the ominous, trippy “Woods”, leaves a perturbed,
exasperated mark. “Woods” is a harrowing, tragically informed composition that
is musically wayward and lyrically mournful. Penultimate track “Past Tense” is
a showcase for Johanna Warren’s entrancing, spiritually laden vocals, which are
given ample space here to surge into greater earshot.
How fitting
that on a record called “Fates”, Johanna Warren makes a spot on prognosis of my
recent fate. In the final seconds of sophomore track ‘We Fell”, Warren utters
her feelings: “You fell into my life
like a coin in a wishing well /And I fell silent as a snowy field and instantly
under your spell” (Johanna Warren- We Fell).
From the moment I first heard Johanna Warren’s record “Fates” and
onwards, I have shared this sentiment of hers: I too “fell…under (a) spell”…the spell of her
breathtakingly poignant, affecting, passion infused music (Johanna Warren- We
Fell). “Fates” is a stunning debut: a spellbinding, complex, poetically rich, genuine
record, from an inordinately talented, first rate musician. Expect to find Warren’s
name etched permanently alongside the chief songwriting greats in a pinch of
time.
