JoJo Razor describes herself as a dark progressive art musician whose work emerges from an alchemical, otherworldly landscape shaped by personal myth, performance art, and progressive rock. This is the first solo album of hers I have come across, but I do know her as singer with Gekko Projekt with whom she performed on their second album, ‘Reya of Titan’. There are a few guests providing some instrumentation here and there but for the most part this is very much a solo album where the voice is very much to the fore, and the accompaniment are there just to provide a structure for the vocals to be placed against, often minimalistic with space being the biggest component.
It took me a little while to think who she reminds me of, and in some ways it is Maryen Cairns (who will probably be best remembered by many for performing with Fish but who has also released a series of wonderful albums) and others it is Cary Grace, and at times it feels almost meditative and enthralling. That it is an album which must be listened to on headphones is never in doubt, and although there is seemingly not a great deal going on it is only with repeated plays that one understands there is actually a lot of complexity. Some songs are far more upbeat, with “Red Garden” shifting between a pop number with driving bass and something which is far more religious which would not be out of place being performed in a cathedral. The shift in styles can make this quite a difficult album to settle into, and I did find I preferred the slower material, but there is never any doubt that this is a fascinating release. The music feels visual, and I am sure it ties in well with her performances, and if you are ever in Oakland, it would be worth seeking her out. This is an album which is both varied and intriguing, never settling for too long in one place before moving on, even touching into Inkubus Sukubus on “Never”. 7/10
By Kev Rowland
