Search results: Miss Jane

Review: Polly Jean Harvey is currently midway through an epic reissue series, delivering freshly re-mastered versions of numerous albums across a multitude of formats. The latest set to get a new vinyl pressing is 1993's "Rid of Me", which saw the celebrated singer-songwriter make her major label bow after years spent operating on small indie imprints. Widely considered one of Harvey's finest moments, the set was far more raw and aggressive than her previous work - despite using the same stripped-back line-up of musicians as its predecessor - with producer Steve Albini, famed for his work with the Pixies, conjuring a particularly "psychotic" sound (as its main protagonist has since called the album in interviews).

Review: We've been treated to reissues of everything else from PJ Harvey's spectacular catalogue, so it's only right we get a chance to savour the deeper cuts that shape out the persona of the high priestess of alternative rock. Gathering together an exhaustive 59 B sides, demos and previously unreleased tracks, this six-LP box set takes us into the heart of Polly Jean's writing process, showing the raw power in the songwriting when it's just her voice and an overdriven guitar, and showing us the broader possibilities of songs which didn't make the cut for the studio albums. This is a true treasure of music getting the authoritative release she deserves.

Review: The Colour Purple is one of those films that went against the odds in the wrong way - the second adaptation of Alice Walker's novel about a Black couple living in the Deep South around the turn of the 20th Century, it built on a legacy of acclaimed literature and cinema (Steven Spielberg's 1985 film), came with a strong cast and had $100million spent on it. Yet, after its release in 2023, despite great reviews and multiple award nominations, it grossed just $67million at the global box office. Musicals aren't for everyone, of course, although it's hard to find fault here. Songs range from super dramatic, almost tribal and certainly stage-filling epics, through to kitchen sink soul, roots, blues, R&B, hip hop, and power pop, and listening through even without the visual focus, leaves a big, long-lasting impression.