LIVE MUSIC REVIEW: Joan As Police Woman

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Joan As Police Woman

Saint Luke’s, Glasgow

****

The American singer-songwriter Joan Wasser, aka Joan as Police Woman, is a gifted multi-instrumentalist who over the years has collaborated with the likes of Antony and the Johnsons, Lou Reed, Rufus Wainwright and even Elton John.

But her solo work is where Wasser really shines, as evinced by this intimate and often spellbinding performance.

Accompanied on Saint Luke’s smallish stage by guitarist Will Graefe and drummer Jeremy Gustin, an unflashy pair of bona fide virtuosos who are entirely in simpatico with their benign leader’s singular vision, Wasser alternated between keyboards and guitar while running the gamut from slinky yacht rock-adjacent art-pop (The Dream and Full-Time Heist, both taken from her latest album Lemons, Limes and Orchids) to groove-driven jazz-rock (Long for Ruin, during which Graefe peeled off a supremely nimble Robbie Krieger-esque solo) and the rustic English folk-style ballad Started Off Free.

The undoubted highlight, however, was the new album’s title track, a captivating song-poem held aloft by church hall piano, warm waves of undulating guitar feedback, and gently rolling cymbal crashes. A beautiful piece, it received a thoroughly deserved mid-show ovation.

This was only the third night of the trio’s European tour, and Wasser was clearly delighted with how they sounded. “I think the musicians I play with are too good,” she smiled at one point, “because I get so emotional I can hardly sing.”

She needn’t have worried. Wasser is blessed with a rich, resonant, supple voice. Her impressive range swoops effortlessly from a full-bodied croon to a strong, flawless falsetto, but she never showboats. Cliché be damned, she sings from the heart.

The only mild bum note was an unnecessary fifteen minute interval which rather spoiled the flow of an otherwise perfectly structured set.