Back in 1994, the music scene was in turmoil. Still reeling from the belly-up loss of “grunge” and without a new big thing in sight, record companies scrambled go release something that might gain an audience and sell well. In the midst of this upheaval, a 26-year-old native of was given the opportunity to record by the forward-thinking Atlantic label.
A native of New York City, Annie Decatur Danielewski is better known by the brief pseudonym Poe. At the time of her 1995 debut, simply titled Hello, Poe had yet to carve out a niche. The only frame of reference that listeners had was in the “rock chick” category—but yet Poe didn’t sound at all similar to the highly-produced and angst-ridden Alanis Morissette, wasn’t based quite so heavily in folk as Jewel, couldn’t possibly be as flat as Beth Orton, nor was she as bluesy as Sheryl Crow. So even at the same time that people looked for a way to pigeonhole her, her music made it impossible to accurately do so.
Poe’s debut isn’t the most profound thing in existence, but it’s also not a vapid as the new breed of pop princesses. Plus, as an added bonus it is quite clear that she has a great deal of talent as a singer and songwriter. And as entertaining as I do indeed find Hello to be, it also seems to show an artist still trying to get a good foothold on what she wants to be. The album escapes easy categorization by being pop, electronica, indie, and rock all at the same time. But of course, to be all those things at once also means that Poe lacks an identity or any clear purpose. Or at least she did in 1995…that all changed with her second release 2000’s Haunted.
Even thought this early album is occasionally confusing and misguided, it also is easy to like. Poe on this album doesn’t seem to make it her business to confuse, worry, disturb, or isolate her audience. She makes a concerted effort to draw them in and then hold on to them. The complexity of Hello isn’t at first noticeable. At first listen it sounds pretty straightforward. But further investigation and listens turns up the fact that it is indeed a multi-dimensional affair. I’m not completely sold on the album on the whole, but the textures and ambiance are more than enough to push it into the category of better-than-average fare.
Hello was one of my first CDs. I don’t even know why I purchased it, especially considering it resided for years along side hard rock, “grunge,” and classic rock. But what I do know is that the 1996 single Angry Johnny was probably at the heart of my early appreciation for Poe and her music. I don’t recall knowing any other songs from the disc—and that was of little concern. A good album remains as such regardless of the number of hits it yields. But “good” is as far as I’ll go with Hello. It is too inconsistent to be great, but definitely has enough memorable moments to warrant a purchase.
The album opens with a la-la-la la-laaa-la melody that is reminiscent of Suzanne Vega. But as the song kicks into high gear, it is clear that this groovy, evocative dance track comes from out the mouth and pen of a different kind of artist. Hello is a great song—definitely one of the better on the disc. It is also a nice way to start the album. Trigger Happy Jack is a different kind of song in many ways. It is a grittier, darker, and much more thoughtful song. A sheer mix of delicious rock, pop, and dance it is hard not to get a kick out of the wry melody and lyrics:
But this ain't no headtrip honey
This is a collision on the road
And you've got me feeling oh just like a roadkill
and you know deep down I know
The strong first two songs make it difficult to stomach the moments that are merely average. I adore the thick bass guitar on Choking the Cherry, but at the same time the song itself just doesn’t strike me as good or bad. Just “blah.” That Day is a fine enough song, but it is here that I begin to get confused. It’s a lo-fi, barely instrumented song that could be on any number of singer-songwriter albums. Poe is best as a rock/electronica chick on her debut and this just proves problematic to have such a diverse selection of songs. It leaves me wondering who exactly she thinks she is…
Angry Johnny was probably my first experience with anything nearing the category of trip-hop. It is the reason I purchased Hello. It is the reason I had any attraction to Poe to begin with. It’s a smooth, cathartic yet incredibly brash song. Poe’s voice is wistful and controlled as it is blanketed lightly over programmed, synthesized melody. There’s zero question that this is among the loveliest songs on this debut.
Continuing on, Hello waxes and wanes—there are moments where it is good and there are moments when it proves tired and boring but not horrid. Dolphin and Another World make listening to the rest of Hello a difficult task. They quite simply are boring. Fortunately, the quality of the songs picks up with Fingertips, a rich, melodic, intelligently produced song that could best be described as trip-hop. On one level it feels like jazz, but with the precisely layered percussion it takes on a different and oh-so-timeless personality.
Beautiful Girl is quite simply put my single favorite song on Hello. However, it doesn’t fit well into the overall character of the album. It is acoustic and light with Poe singing from her heart and not with the wispy, breathy voice listeners will by this time be most acquainted with. It is an incredibly strong track, but suffers as a result of Hello’s inconsistencies. Junkie and Fly Away wrap the album up. The former is a funky, trippy electronica song while the latter is a very adult feeling piano and flute piece. Once again, Poe leaves me entertained but mystified by her lack of focus.
Overall, I think that the good aspects of Hello definitely outweigh the mediocrity of a few of the songs. Poe was clearly not quite sure where she wanted to go with her career. Funny thing is that she didn’t really go the way that any of these songs would have suggested. In any case, Hello is a good release. Most of the songs are very appealing regardless of what genre the listener is accustomed to hearing. Poe’s singing and songwriting skills leave little doubt of her talent.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Hello
02. Trigger Happy Jack (Drive by a Go-Go)
03. Choking the Cherry
04. That Day
05. Angry Johnny
06. Dolphin
07. Another World
08. Fingertips
09. Beautiful Girl
10. Junkie
11. Fly Away
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