Customer Reviews

Bring Me the Workhorse

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My first impression of Shara Worden came when she was syncopating "I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S" to Sufjan Stevens' "They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back from the dead!! Ahh!!" It should come as no surprise, then, that I envisioned Shara's voice to be cutesy and poppy. Add in the fact that my first time to actually lay eyes on her was in a cheerleading uniform, performing as an Illinoisemaker, and it really just seemed to fit. My Brightest Diamond is Shara Worden; a very different girl than I imagined.

With the first note she sings on "Something of an End" I literally compared press release pictures of her to my Illinoisemakers poster to be sure that this was the same girl. Worden sings with the vocal presence of Fiona Apple or Kate Bush and takes musical risks that put her in the same category as Bjork. Consider my mind blown!

The revelation that Shara Worden was not the posessor of the cute, petite voice I had imagined is perhaps why I'm so entranced by "Bring Me the Workhorse." The artist gives no clue that she was even involved in that silly Sufjan Stevens album and subsequent tour. The sound on this album is infinitely maturer than anything we've heard from her before. Sure, there's a stop on the "let's just have fun train" with the song "Freak Out," but everything else on this album is mesmerizing. Hearing Shara declare "Heaven and hell come c-c-crashing down!" on "Something of an End" is literally so Bjork-esque that one can't help but fall in love with the song and open up their ears to the rest of the album.

"Golden Star" eases the excitement a little until the song hits the 2-minute mark and Worden fully displays the extent of her vocal abilities without even sounding like she's breaking a sweat. "Gone Away," a soft ballad about a loverleaving and the difficulties that follows, is heartbreaking and enchanting, while "Dragonfly" is a dreamy-pop song that sounds like it could easily be a Sixpence None the Richer song if it weren't for Worden's powerful vocals.

"Bring Me the Workhorse" is one heck of an album! Before the final track comes to an end, you will have undoubtedly experience a range of emotions; from depression to happiness, optimism and fear. Truthfully, hearing Shara demand "Bring me the workhorse! Bring me the no good workhorse!" struck a bit of fear in me, followed by the absolute joy that comes with realizing that one line could bring about such an emotion. The album can, at times, be amazing, yet also seemingly unnecessary. However, despite these minor and rare flaws, I can't help but listen to "Bring Me the Workhorse" over and over and over again.

This is, by far, the best debut album to be released in 2006 thus far. I eagerly look forward to anything to come from My Brightest Diamond in the future and I suggest everyone go ahead and get on board with me!

Highly recommended for fans of Fiona Apple, Kate Bush, Bjork, Portishead and anyone looking to be amazed at one of the best combinations of creativity and talent that I have heard in a while!

Key Tracks:
1. "Something of an End"
2. "Golden Star"
3. "Dragonfly"
4. "Disappear"
5. "Workhorse"

5 out of 5 Stars

My Brightest Diamond -- aka opera singer Shana Worden -- is not your typical Asthmatic Kitty band. No whimsical folk or funk here.

Instead, Worden embraces a more slow-burning rock mentality, with some fluttery pop in the mix. Rather than the pensive, warm'n'fuzzy sound of her labelmate Sufjan, "Bring Me the Workhorse" is a chilling, slightly eerie kind of pop music. And yet, you probably won't stop listening until it ends.

It opens with the ominous "Something of An End," with its dramatic, taut guitar and meandering little melody. And somewhat mad subject matter: "You woke up God and everyone/screaming bloody awful/so we took you to the doctor/he said, it's a bad one/and it's such a shame about it/cause she's so pretty..."

That continues through the tight pop of "Golden Star," with its wavering strings and sharp drum machine, and the shimmering soft melody of "Gone Away." Worden expands her sound throughout the album, with whimsical songs about dragonflies in spiderwebs, angular drums, soft chiming pop, and electronic glimmerpop.

There's a lot of dimension in "Bring Me The Workhorse" that doesn't show up at first listen. At first it sounds like a basic guitarpop album, without many sonic trimmings. Then, after a few more of those songs, Worden's beautiful voice and the shimmering side instrumentation start to really pop.

The instrumentation is very taut, close and interwoven. Sometimes Worden keeps it spare and unpolished, but at other times the synthy balladry can blossom into an orchestral wave of strings. At other times, it's just little unadorned guitar melodies and a backdrop of drum machines, or maybe some blippy synth or violins.

It certainly doesn't hurt that she's an opera singer, with a very rich, smooth voice. But listen more closely, and the elongated notes, soaring vocals, and rolling enunciation start to emerge. Her lyrics are as spare as the guitar melodies ("One day I may go for the longest while/Don't be too shocked/I get tired of sneaky societies and combat boots..."), and they could use a little more polish, but are okay.

My Brightest Diamond makes a solid debut, with exceptional vocals and deceptively simple-sounding music. Okay, the lyrics need a bit of strengthening, but otherwise "Bring Me the Workhorse" is an outstanding little album.

While driving recently, I was lucky enough to hear a large part of Shara Worden's new CD, Bring me the Workhorse. I don't often listen to rock music--these days, classical is my preference when I'm not stuck in the car, glued to my kids' rap and hip hop--and I can't remember the last time I bought any. But this is one CD I'd consider. It's so original, and, well, musical.

From what I gathered between cuts, Worden's Dad was an accomplished accordionist, and her mother a church organist. Whatever the origin of her musical skill, however, it's genuine, and worth hearing.

I confess I have no idea how she conceived of her title--either for the CD, or her "group"--but the music here is definitely bright, even diamond like, in the sea of garbage being mass produced by so-called musicians nowadays.

If you want a change, this CD is a good place to get it.

I don't even recall how I landed on My Brightest Diamond, but I am glad I did. Hailing out of NYC, the music produced by multi-instrumentalist Shara Worden goes beyond the sound of Sufjan Stevens, alongside whom she gained recognition as one of his Illinoisemakers. The sound in "Bring Me the Workhorse" feels like listening to Jeff Buckley with a touch of Rachel's and Kate Bush. The comparisons to BJork tend to feel a little off, since the album is strictly acoustic in its nature. The spirit of the music is rather sinister and spooky, reminding of something like cabaret music played on a dark night.

She is the opening act for The Decemberists when they play in Orlando in April 2007. I am looking forward to both acts, but as usual: the art of discovering new music makes having learned about My Brightest Diamond even more exciting! This is sure an artist there will be lots to talk about in the coming years.

I remember first hearing the track Golden Star while sifting through some massive sampler of many up and coming 2006 releases. The list was so extensive I could only give each song about 10 seconds to make an impression. The minute Shana Worden opened her mouth I was immediately transfixed. She has a definite ethereal, classical quality to her voice yet also a definite gritty rock sensibility; almost like a fallen angel learning how to cope with life in a big, bustling city. It was love at first listen. This is definitely one of my favorite albums but predominately for the first half of the CD. I feel some of the later tracks aren't as strong and as a result I don't always make it through the whole CD on a listen. If this were an EP with some of the weaker songs plucked, I'd give this 5 stars in a heartbeat

Note: I meant to rate this 4 stars but it got rated a 5, sorry for the discrepancy.

...gives me chills every time. I love hearing her theatrical personality come through on this album. The jangly, sullen, sometimes violent discord of guitar and piano contrasts with the warmth created by violins and chimes as Shara weaves in her sultry, operatic lilt to perfect this dark yet sparkling drama.

...as a plea for you to see this brilliant artist live at your earliest convenience. I had the privilege of attending her performance as the opening act for Rasputina in Austin, TX last Saturday (7/29/07), and she is singularly spectacular. While I thoroughly enjoyed the album, it does not begin to compare to experiencing this unique singer/songwriter/guitarist's work in person.

Please, please, please, do yourself a favor and go see her as soon as you can. You will not be sorry.

I walked into the middle of MBD's opening act for Sufjian Stevens unaware of and indifferent to their music. In the first few minutes, I couldn't believe I had missed a second of this show. As a performer, Shara Worden is someone who you cannot possibly remove your eyes off of. Once the CD was in my hands, i listened to nothing else for months. It was a transformative experience; I am not a fan of female voices, nor of the female presence on stage. Her songwriting, pendulates from ridiculous and slightly precious to odd and somewhat somber reflections on animals. Anyway, I love it...

Vocalist Shara Worden is gifted with one of those voices that doesn't seem possible in indie rock - deep, rich, and operatic. Every review will point out that she's actually a trained opera singer, but you can ignore that - she doesn't sing opera, but it's obvious she has the ability to blow away just about every pop diva dominating the top 40. She just chooses not to. What she does do is enchant listeners with a mix of dark modern dream pop with the sensibilities of a Nina Simone or a Billy Holiday, much as Portishead's Beth Gibbons does with a slightly less capable voice. There's no telling how she will fare with fickle audiences, but one thing is for sure, if Bring Me The Workhorse is merely a debut album, this is a stunning beginning to a career for music aficionados.

Shana Worden is as impressive a vocalist as exists on this planet. She has a tremulous, delicate lower register. Like a "star exploding" (lyrics from track 2) would be an appropriate description for the woman's upper register. She strikes me as Buckley-esque.

Five songs jumped out at me. The first two songs on this album took me away. Something of an End is a captivating slice of sturm und drang. It's alternately creepy and thrilling (in a creepy way). There's a nice build to the chorus and when it arrives she wails, "It was beautiful! And terrible!" as the guitars and bass pound out a progression that manages to be catchy and dissonant both.

Golden Star contains another virtuoso vocal performance from Mz. Worden, though I felt the guitar playing was extremely simple, and not in a good way. Simple guitar parts can be wonderful, but certain bits on this album rang alarm bells. There is lots of single note rhythms and repetition. Some people may like this, but it struck me as a weakness. Regardless, the strength of the lyrics and the sheer beauty of this woman's voice overpower my complaints.

The other three songs are Dragonfly, Disappear, and The Robin's Jar. The Robin's Jar in particular makes me bawl my eyes out. Disappear somehow reminds me of the Groove Armada track 'At the River'.

Anyway, that's all I have to say about that.