The Deep Field

iTunes Review

Tribal field recordings fittingly open The Deep Field, Joan Wasser’s 2011 long-player, before the sunny strut of “Nervous” kicks in with Wasser singing more confidently than the song’s title suggests. She sounds happier here than heard on both her previous albums, especially in sultry standout “The Magic” where a vacuum-tight rhythm section lays down a sinister groove while Wasser coos in a creamy coolness reminiscent of early Sade recordings. The arrangements begin more sparsely in the slow-burning funk of “The Action Man,” allowing some room for Wasser’s vocals to stretch-out enough to hear her slightly textured inflections before the instruments steadily build in dynamic layers. She almost sounds aloof in the languid “Flash” where the tempo pulses slowly and sublime instrumental flourishes dapple the song’s topography like shadows of clouds. “Human Condition” brings back the groove with a steady beat of handclaps, buttery fretless bass runs, a Barry White sounding backing singer and her smoothest vocal performance to date. “Say Yes” ends with Wasser’s return to her original vision of punk R&B where guitar distortion nicely contrasts soulful singing.