Sophie B. Hawkins is one intense lady, and I love her. But she is also a sort of living testament to the fact that a life lived in full adherence to emotional truth inevitably heads towards living with lots of pets, and writing songs about them -- for her, it's all about shadows of life and death, the merging of body and soul, drumming and Virginia Woolf. But for me this is of course an entirely good thing, as I prefer my emotion to be *bluntly* expressed through music.
It's ironic that someone who consistently channels such a sexual energy is probably most well known for the TTfm (as it was then) staple As I Lay Me Down and the Dawson's Creek soundtrack, as well as, of course, the classic Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover, with its famous sleeveless flannel shirt. But running through most of her work is a theme of destructive sexuality -- an evocation of a sexual/spiritual force (of the elemental variety) that can never be fully expressed, and would most likely tear you apart if it could be. Thus the pets. Thus the drums. I don't really have a point here, except that I like my music overblown, and I think Sophie B. is often overlooked. Looking back, her unrestrained and forceful music is quite refreshing. She also had a fight with Sony Music over a banjo, which I think is pretty cool. Try that Delta, Tina and the rest...
3 comments:
How weird. I swear we have some kind of psychic connection. I was listening to Sophie's debut album a lot last week and was thinking how underrated she is. I wish she'd make a comeback and show the pretenders how it's done!
There must be something psychic involved because *nobody* I know appreciates Sophie. I think she is amazing because she channels madness into her music so satisfyingly. I'm not sure if you've heard Wilderness, her self-funded album from a few years ago. Not amazing, and many songs about her dogs, but a quality album because of its Sophie-ness...
No I don't have that one! I'll have to hunt it down. I'd love to hear some tunes about her dogs!
Post a Comment