Real Life by Joan as Police Woman

This lovely bit of audio and visual candy is a woman named Joan Wasser, she was born in Biddeford Maine and raised mostly in Norwalk, Connecticut, and believe it or not, she has one of the most impressive musical petigrees I've ever come acrossed. She started out playing piano at the age of 6, and spent her teens playing with various bands and working solo as well, this feat, more so the amazingly matured and defined that it gained her early admitance to the musical converatory at Boston University where she became the prize student of the world renowned Yuri Mazurkevich where she became part of the Boston University Symphony Orcastra and played many large venues through out her time with them. In this time she also formed Boston indie scene legends Hot Trix, The Damnbuilders and Black Beatle as side projects as well as did work with Those Bastard Souls and Mind Science of the Mind. Joan didn't go into classical music after college like most assumed she would, she went hardcore into the independant musical mecha that is the boston music scene and after awile formed Joan as Police Woman in New York City in 2002. Her credentials in the popular music scene are as equily as impressive as her classical, she was a former band member and lover of the late Jeff Buckley at the time of his death, and has worked with such well known artists as Lou Reed, Tanya Donelly, Sheryl Crow, Dave Gahan, Elton John, the Scissor Sisters, Antony and the Johnsons, Joseph Arthur and Rufus Wainwright, to name just afew.

With a history like that you would exspect her full length debut in this new band of hers to be nothing short of musical nirvana in mp3 form right? Well, if you assumed this you would be correct! This album is just complete bliss in audio form! Joan and her fellow musicans mix everything from blues to rock to pop to indie to late 1960s phycidelic infusions and soul to classical together in a way that leaves me speachless and wanting more. I love how they span the gammet from upbeat and fun to torch songs to straight up blues to rock and stop off all over the place along the way, Joan's vocals sound so much like Billie Holiday through most of this album that it scares me at times.

The title track "Real Life" is a great start off, its a very mellow smokey delivered piano driven love song, its as sexy as it is eerie. "Eternal Flame" is an odd mix of a love song and a grandus symphonic fused with uptempt 1970s style rock with a huge chorus singing along, its wonderfull. "I Defy" a great duet done in a 1970s Marvin Gaye "Whats Going On" era sort of style, I really wish they gave more more then just the first name of the man that sings it with her, I can't seem to find him in the band reguester or the credits and would like to here more from him, the way they blend horns, violins, pianos and strings together are just incredable as well. I could really go on and on about how great every track on this short disc is, only 10 tracks, though I would love a double disc special edition with all the B-Sides and out-takes and stuff, I just can't get enough of this band!

As for if I think most people will like this? Yes, I believe most would, there is enough of every style to keep even the most closed minded "one genre'er" happy. But people like me that are all over the musical spectrim will go wild over this and scream for more. Its just so beautifully crafted, there is so much detail given to even the smallest bit of music on this album, its almost bordering on artform in some spots. Its a definate must for anyone that claims to be "musically open minded" and isn't really just saying it to get cred. Give it a shot, seriously, won't be let down.


Artist: Joan As Police Woman
Album: Real Life
Genre: Indie, Indie Rock, Blues, Blues Rock, Fusion, Boston Indie

Real Life By Joan as Police Woman


By: BC