Liz Janes

Say Goodbye (Asthmatic Kitty)

By Gabrielle Moss
Published: December 23rd, 2010 | 7:00am

Alt-pop songstress (and occasional Sufjan Stevens collaborator) Liz Janes has a voice with Broadway-level range, the kind of soaring vocal instrument rarely found on indie rock records. Previous releases, like 2002’s Done Gone Fire, revealed a voice that was impressive but untamed, and Janes was unafraid to let it get raw when necessary. But on Say Goodbye, she brings a new level of vocal glossiness into the equation, and it proves an odd bedfellow for her spare and heartfelt indie-pop instrumentation.

Perhaps it is because each song was originally written as an acapella number and then re-imagined in the studio with instrumentation, but throughout the album, there is an essential disconnect between the music and Janes’ voice. Musically, the songs themselves explore a wide variety of genres—Janes considers this her soul album, which is clear on tracks like “I Don’t Believe” and “Anchor;” she also works with gentle lullabies on “Time and Space,” and genteel folk-pop on “Bitty Thing.” But in each case, while the music is deeply nuanced and thought-out, the vocals are overly stylized, not changing sufficiently from song to song to suit each track’s individual style.

Make no mistake, Janes’ vocals and songwriting display impressive craft and ability; but on this record, her singing possesses a kind of show tune-like sheen and emotional sameness that keeps it just outside the realm of truly carrying the deeply emotionally affecting lyrics. Janes’ vocals are polished to the point of being emotionally inaccessible.

Say Goodbye is an interesting experiment in adult contemporary pop, but it simply never breaks through and fully emotionally connects with the listener. Janes skips the passion and vulnerability and moves straight onto the technical perfection, making this an album that displays her great talents but ultimately does not make complete use of them.

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Liz Janes MySpace page

Asthmatic Kitty Records