BBC Review
Five years is a long time to wait considering the sheer brilliance of 2001's 'Whole...
Chris Long2006
It’s been five years since Shawn Colvin’s last album, discounting the obligatory contract-fulfilling Greatest Hits. The wait has been a long one, considering the sheer brilliance of 2001’s 'Whole New You'.
Half a decade later, you would have thought that Colvin could have moved her sound on a little, as she did with each album before. However, 'These Four Walls', appears to be a weaker version of the last outing.
Not that it’s without Colvin’s usual slow-burning splendour. "Fill Me Up" has the sweet desperation of her most beautiful songs and it’s joined on that pedestal by the whimsical "Summer Dress" and "The Bird’s" off-kilter country.
There’s little doubt that Colvin is at a point in her career when she can get away with a little free-wheeling, so we’ll forgive her this one, but, given that she’s won Grammys for her work before, one chance is all she’s going to get.
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