KEREN ANN Issue #32

Keren Ann

By Katerina Herodotou
Published: June 1st, 2007 | 12:00am

Ditching her usual French vocals, Keren Ann’s new self-titled disc is an American love affair. Taking cues from breezy Westerns, train-hopping harmonicas, and a bit of Lucinda Williams, Keren Ann is a showcase of American lullabies through the eyes of a globetrotting Israeli chanteuse. Opening with “It’s All a Lie,” seriously channeling Mazzy Star, the nine-song disc is a long lullaby for lovers and loners.

Keren Ann continues serenading sleeping babies and grown men alike as she coos, “Why don’t you lay your head down in my arms?” on her first single, “Lay Your Head Down.” Twangy guitars and upbeat handclaps won’t drown out her repetition of the meditative chorus, revealing the true essence of her music: sweetness. She’s smooth but not sugary, perhaps melancholic but not depressed. The Parisian influence drips from her serene ballads, like late-night candlelight battling the twinkling Eiffel Tower. While she sings in English, Keren Ann’s soft, understated vocals bring French cafés to mind, mingling with the western guitars so prominent on the record. Church-like choirs back her up on the track “Liberty,” demolishing the singer-songwriter formula so often attached to her work.

But songs like “Where No Endings End” and “In Your Back” parade the real appeal of Keren Ann’s mysterious songwriting. The listener is invited to decipher the poignant lyrics: Is it a lost love she whispers about? A disappointing friend? A simple story she created? One can’t help but be pulled into the songs, the pianos, and her slightly accented vocabulary. The record is effortlessly enchanting and Keren Ann herself knows exactly how to describe it: “It’s really like a painting in sound.” Really.