Joan as Police Woman has been as restless as ever since her last sold-out Australian tour in 2011, and the release of that year’s classic album The Deep Field. She’s starred in a BBC produced celebration of the music of Sandy Denny. Joan also appeared on Orchestral Variations V.01 by The Separate (aka producer / engineer Rob Kirwan), re-imaging The Smiths’ ‘The Night Has Opened My Eyes’. But most crucially she’s returned to the studio to create her most striking LP yet, The Classic. Critics and fans are united in their praise of an album that one scribe said was best experienced with lights out, eyes closed, headphones on. This is music to get lost in.
American Wasser made her mark with indie outfit the Dambuilders, and worked with Antony Hegarty and the late Lou Reed, among others, before embarking on a solo odyssey that stretches back to 2006’s Real Life. When asked about her new record, she admits: “I’m in the best place I’ve ever been in my life.” And for anyone who knows the woman and her work, that’s not a statement she makes lightly.
During The Classic, Joan celebrates her lust for music. She even channels Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, along with Motown’s great girl groups, during the album’s title track, one of its many standouts. Joan as the new queen of doo-wop — who’d have thought? The album ends with a surprisingly gentle island sway, courtesy of the reggae-flavoured ‘Ask Me’, a song Joan describes as “the chocolate mousse at the end of the meal.” That would be a four-stars-in-Rolling-Stone / likely album of the year type meal, by the way.
“Melancholy is still part of my life,” Wasser hastens to reassure anyone who fears she may have taken a turn for the whimsical, “but it’s no longer leeching energy from my life.”
The many sides of Joan Wasser will be on full display when she returns for a tour that’s bound to bring a warm, sensual glow to the Australian winter. It’ll be a classic. No, make that ‘The Classic’.
JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN TOUR DATES
Tuesday 24th June HIFI BAR, Brisbane, QLD
Friday 27th June Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne VIC
Saturday 28th June Meeniyan Town Hall, Meeniyan, VIC
Tuesday 1st July Lizottes, Newcastle, NSW
Wednesday 2nd July The Basement, Sydney NSW
Wednesday 3rd July The Basement , Sydney NSW