After four albums (three of original songs, one of covers), Joan Wasser appears to be having difficulty holding onto her title of Queen of Melancholy. This is a good thing, as there's a friskiness about The Classic that directs listeners towards 1960s Southern soul and 1950s doo-wop stylings that you wouldn't have necessarily thought would be on this particular charge sheet. All this noted, however, Wasser's lyrics retain previous levels of layered emotions, and on New Year's Day and What Would You Do she digs up some heavy-duty stuff about suicide and relationships. And let's not forget the voice – Wasser might sound jokey during her flights of fancy doo-wop, but when she hits the soul in something awesome (Good Together) , very few could extinguish her blazing torch. joanaspolicewoman.com
Download: The Classic, New Year's Day, What Would You Do, Good Together