American songstress Lissie Maurus is back, and this time she's pissed. With its leaner, meaner, yet more commercial sound, 'Back To Forever' finds her excavating the deepest depths of her contradictory psyche. From heartbroken angel to avenging heroine, home grown hippy to pop starlet, these feisty anthems come out swinging with a scorned anger and lost-in-the-big-city-loneliness that's occasionally contrived, but mostly infectious.
When she burst onto the scene with 'Catching A Tiger' in 2010 Lissie was immediately compared to Stevie Nicks. The similarities are undeniable, with her nicotine 'n' booze-coated rasp decorating a Fleetwood Mac feast of genuine heartbreak, west coast melodies and timeless cool. But, far from being a '70s throwback, Lissie's ebullient charm, song writing smarts and love of everything from folk to dance music make her songs feel hip and fresh.
On 'Back To Forever' those broader influences rise to the surface, dialling down the sunny pop on an album that's less free spirited than her debut. With a harder edge, courtesy of producer Garrett 'Jacknife' Lee, she's sculpted a more straightforward set of pop-rock gems that incorporate electronica, soulful balladry and profane snarling, while retaining her winning melodic hooks.
That said, the album doesn't start well. The Habit is too Lissie-by-numbers, with soulful '70s verses cruising towards a meandering chorus that never takes flight. It's not helped by an electro-disco beat that doesn't suit her at all. Or does it?
Further Away (Romance Police) follows and is an absolute cracker that proves dance floor rhythms can underscore Lissie's music with delightful results. The chorus is brilliantly constructed, with a ghostly robotic chant grooving away beneath her impassioned wail.
I Bet On You and Can't Take It Back also boast frisky percussion that adds extra vitality to their surging choruses and Fleetwood Mac gloss. The latter features the kind of unforgiving, emotionally complex lyrics you could imagine Lindsey Buckingham and Nicks spitting at each other during the 'Rumours' sessions.
The songs on 'Back To Forever' still chronicle unhealthy relationships, devastating betrayals and dismay about the planet's destruction. Except this time they're integrated into an overarching theme about change - be it personal, social or environmental - and unleashed with a darker, more irate delivery than we've seen from her before.
Although nowhere near as good, by following a breakout release with a detached, bleak and confused album, Lissie is mirroring what Bruce Springsteen did on 'Darkness On The Edge Of Town'. Love In The City has the same alienated vibe, while the delicate title track yearns for a time before the promise of a brighter future was destroyed by harsh realities.
The difference is, where the Boss's authenticity was unquestionable, Lissie sometimes feels like she's compromising herself. I Don't Want To Go To Work tries to hide its contrivances behind a moody intro and desperate lyrics, but she's selling herself short with an unsubtle chorus that's tailor-made for mass appeal.
Similarly, the excellent Shameless. There's no denying its quality as grizzled chords growl beneath Lissie's pugnacious attack on celebrity, but her use of the f-bomb and the obvious target is too AlanisMorisette. It's difficult not to be cynical about the sincerity of such choices, especially when her veracity shines through on They All Want You and Mountaintop Removal.
The former's confused tale of devotion to a lost love features a heartbreaking vocal delivery, while the latter is a magnificent slice of epic Americana about the ravaging of mother earth. Its vintage melody and chord progressions feel like something Neil Young could have penned for Nicks circa 'After The Gold Rush'. Lissie is a unique character with a mostly genuine voice, and if she tunes out external pressure to deliver commercial success she may achieve true greatness.
Thu October 24th 2013 - GLASGOW O2 ABC
Fri October 25th 2013 - DUBLIN Academy
Sun October 27th 2013 - MANCHESTER Manchester Academy 2
Mon October 28th 2013 - LONDON KOKO
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