Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

Abigail Hopkins follows up her acclaimed debut album Smile Road, with her sophomore album Blue Satin Alley. Smile Road was a much more cheerful-sounding album, but Blue Satin Alley still contains Hopkins’s mesmerizing gritty sound, reminiscent of PJ Harvey, an artist who she lists as an influence and one who many compare her too. After I had listened to her, her voice also seemed to echo the sounds of Patti Smith.

Abigail Hopkins, born and raised in London, is both an actress and singer who proves that she can deliver despite the medium. Having an early love for reading/writing and listening to classical music, she showcases these influences in her albums using her strong lyrics , infused with the ability to evoke emotion, and the sometimes-harmonic and other-times cacophonous sound.

The first track I heard was Harold’s Bees and I must admit that I thought Hopkins was not for me. Almost a spoken word poem set against the shrieks and screams of a man and woman, I was completely thrown off. I could hear the discordant sounds of the trumpet giving it an avant-garde jazz feel but I still felt left in the dark after the song was over. However, as I continued to listen to the album I was swept up by some songs and confused by others. It was Hailstones that captivated my attention and helped me appreciate Hopkins’s mastery of turning dissonance into beauty. With a musical background similar to that of Fiona Apple’s Criminal, the brass horns and very slow tempo create a scene of suspicion.

Ghost Soldier is one of the best on the album. Full of gentle rhythms and her whispery voice, Hopkins’s lyrics vividly capture the scarring memories that plague the minds of soldiers. Ghost Soldier is like a patriotic lullaby, paying homage to those who were left behind in the battlefield. Each line is so masterfully written that it is difficult to select just one as an example of Hopkins’s strong songwriting. If one is to love Ghost Soldier, then In from the Sea will also be a favorite.

Hopkins does provide solace from the more depressive, meditative, and jazzy pieces with the third track on the album. A more upbeat and catchy song on the album is the a-cappella chant I’ll be Waiting for You By the Bus Stand. Very minimalistic in sound, only a choir and claps accompany Hopkins’s voice, generating a song that makes you want to sing along with it.

With the gripping sound of Blue Satin Alley, it is surprising that it took only 12 days for it to be recorded and polished for production. This is just another indicator of Hopkins’s talent at play