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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Her seventh solo album in the books, Kristin Hersh now has a body of work stretching back two decades to when her band Throwing Muses tossed the angst-ridden teenager directly into the indie-rock spotlight. Hersh has made great personal strides since branching off on her own, each record of engaging pop music serving as a reflective document of her impulsive lifestyle, each song allowing her voice to grow from young and girlish to broadly mature. She plays most of the instruments on all 14 songs, several of which deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (Hersh once lived in New Orleans) and a personal misfortune in her own home. Heartbreak practically drips from Hersh's voice when she vows that "getting up is what hurts" in the commanding rocker "Day Glow" or admits that "nervous energy keeps us busy" in the pensive "Ice." As usual, the turbulently talented musician picks herself off the mat with the self-deprecating instrumental "Christian Hearse," the Nirvana-like "Under the Gun," and "Winter," complete with tubular bells, strings, and an Irish-tinged chorus that is as triumphant as the artist herself. --Scott Holter
Product Description
Kristin Hersh's prolific career spans twenty years, from founding pioneering post-punk art-rockers Throwing Muses (at age fourteen!) through more than ten Throwing Muses records, eight solo releases, and three releases with her harder-than-ever punk rock outfit 50FootWave. Learn to Sing Like a Star, her most recent solo outing (and first on Yep Roc Records), might finally be the rock record Hersh has hinted at for years - an intense, openly emotional and beautiful statement. Produced by Kristin and mixed in Nashville by two time Grammy winner Trina Shoemaker, Learn to Sing Like a Star comes across as the lovingly obsessive work of an artist who never fails to "bring it" - an indie-rock symphony.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By CMad
Format:Audio CD
Kristen's solo work is usually dark and a bit pensive, but for some reason the songs came out with a bit more push and drive for this solo effort. The Amazon review above nailed it pretty well. She, as always, shows great creativity, emotion, and layering in her songs that draw you in. Her voice is now more raw and powerful than in previous albums, but this is not a bad thing at all. Don't forget to check out her other bands - the hard charging 50 Foot Wave, and The Throwing Muses.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By ST
Format:Audio CD
The emo kids should lend an ear to Kristin Hersh if they want their music with dollops of misery.
It is never more eloquently done than on "Nerve Endings", the agonised lyrics set against uncomfortable chord changes, with only the elegant string arrangement to provide any balm.
"Getting up is what hurts," she wails on "Day Glo", and sings of being "twisted in slo-mo by angry water". (Having had the misfortune to name her last band 50 Foot Wave just before the Asian tsunami, and then mourning the flood disaster in New Orleans, Hersh's own home suffered a burst pipe so destructive that it used up the family savings and forced her to sell up.)
As Hersh's spiky work goes, this is less fraught, the sourness of that cracked voice balanced by the sweetness off the strings.
Still, it's never exactly easy listening.
It is never more eloquently done than on "Nerve Endings", the agonised lyrics set against uncomfortable chord changes, with only the elegant string arrangement to provide any balm.
"Getting up is what hurts," she wails on "Day Glo", and sings of being "twisted in slo-mo by angry water". (Having had the misfortune to name her last band 50 Foot Wave just before the Asian tsunami, and then mourning the flood disaster in New Orleans, Hersh's own home suffered a burst pipe so destructive that it used up the family savings and forced her to sell up.)
As Hersh's spiky work goes, this is less fraught, the sourness of that cracked voice balanced by the sweetness off the strings.
Still, it's never exactly easy listening.
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Laura Ann
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Kristin Hersh is responsible for some of my favorite recordings in the psycho rock genre. It is difficult to feel less than moved about "Learn To Sing Like A Star" as every prior solo album from Kristin made an instant connection to my brain and proceeded to stay there for years and years afterwards. Maybe the stand out cuts like "Vertigo", "Peggy Lee" and "The Thin Man" will eventually allow me to feel this albums overall flow as well as her prior records always have done. As hard as i try though, these songs just don't hang together as a full album for me. Something seems to be missing. I keep playing it over and over waiting for it to finally kick in; but so far, no kick. I will always buy any solo album from Kristin but i was hoping for a stronger effort this time.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
love it
I became a fan when listening to Throwing Muses back in college. There is a complexity in circling rhythym to the songs that continues in ms. Hersh's solo career. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Dale J. Seachord
3.0 out of 5 stars
Singing and Production is only Part of the Battle
So, I ask, what separates vocal-driven rock from pop rock? If one were feeling smitten after listening to Learn to Sing Like a Star, a solo album by Throwing Muses/ 50 Foot... Read more
Published on May 21, 2008 by Nick Schwab
1.0 out of 5 stars
I Couldn't Believe What I Was Hearing?
Well first of all, I have to be perfectly honest here. I've been away from Kristin for about 10 to 12 years. Read more
Published on September 24, 2007 by K. Motley
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another masterpiece by Kristin
I was fortunate to see her playing this album last night at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC with The McCarricks. Full of energy and with a voice that will chill your soul.
Published on April 26, 2007 by Gustavo Fabbroni
2.0 out of 5 stars
DIZZY MISS KRISTI
Being a junkie for Kristin Hersh can be a tricky business. Inevitably rewarding but at times it's a bit of a chore. Reading some of the reviews posted here I feel a bit cheated. Read more
Published on April 19, 2007 by DELETED
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kristin Hersh Sings Like a Star
This is by far the best KH album since Hips and Makers. It's amazing to see her journey over the years, experimenting with each album. Read more
Published on March 15, 2007 by Sarah Predmore
5.0 out of 5 stars
I am in love!
I think this is some of her best work yet, although that is hard to say about such a talented singer/songwriter. I have been playing it over and over since it arrived.
Published on March 9, 2007 by Jessica M. Berger
3.0 out of 5 stars
La Perla underwear wrapped in a JC Penny coat
Kristin Hersh has written and performed some of the finest songs ever penned; personal, pained, keenly observed, yet always played so pure and simple - amplifying her razor... Read more
Published on March 4, 2007 by Kezzworld
3.0 out of 5 stars
As good as her other CD's
How's that for faint praise? Actually, truth be told, it's a little spare, thus the 3 stars, only six of these songs made my MP3 list, which now contains 79 songs, and could have... Read more
Published on February 23, 2007 by Nobody
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tingling My "Nerve Endings"!
There are very few voices that are able to entangle my brain and cavort me into a wicked state of bliss. Read more
Published on February 18, 2007 by Christopher Vaughn
