In my gay opinion, Anna Nalick’s new album is one that I shouldn’t like since it’s a covers album and I prefer my divas to share their own talents, like Anna’s incredible songwriting. The good thing is that the majority of the songs on The Blackest Crow are unknown to me, so it’s like a new album. Anna reworks the known-to-me classics “Some Of These Days,” “I’ll Be Seeing You,” and the Casablanca memorialized “As Time Goes By” in a way that pays homage but is new. I’m amused by the cover of Jesus Jones’ 90’s one-hit-wonder “Right Here Right Now” with it’s Stevie Nicksesque tambourine flair.
Concept albums tend to be pretentious but The Blackest Crow is simply about time, both lyrically and in the time machine weaving way the songs travel decades in sound and style. It’s like visiting Anna’s past lives as a woman seeing her love off on the Mayflower to the folksy “As Time Draws Near,” to the lesbian hobo falling in love with a saloon wench on the country sounding “My Rough And Rowdy Ways,” to the Doris Day wanna-be in her poodle skirt listening to “That’s All” on her record player, and her beret adorned beatnik playing her bongos on the upbeat “Waterloo Sunset” which is my favorite track.
Anna Nalick is my only diva that could pull off an album like this. Not only does she pull it off but I really enjoy these old-timey songs. This album is for any fan of her voice, which is just as strong as the day she recorded “Breathe (2 A.M),” or anyone who likes to bask in the romanticized old Victrola sounds of the past.
