Angel Olsen is an artist who chooses to focus on, and sing about, the emotions of life every person feels at some point. Throughout her new album “My Woman,” Olsen sings about finding yourself through being alone and trying to understand yourself.
Her voice reaches low, solemn notes as well as high-pitched ones that seem to yearn to be heard throughout songs like “Never Be Mine” and “Shut Up Kiss Me.” Olsen has been compared to singer Fiona Apple because both experiment with high and low notes and have an angelic, light quality to their singing voices.
Olsen dives into the idea of individual presence that centers on self-reliance and the act of being and becoming. This album is searching for answers about love, what it means to be in love, how to find it, keep it and survive it.
Olsen’s voice sounds old-fashioned and muffled in some parts as if it were recorded in the 1950s.
Strong guitar riffs and drums are key throughout the album, especially on tracks such as “Give It Up.” Although, on tracks like “Sister” an overpowering guitar is swapped out with an acoustic that strums in the background until the chorus containing lulling chords shines through.
In “Those Were The Days,” Olsen’s voice circles around your head like a halo and caresses your thoughts about being alone.
The album hums, harmonizes and floats around a dreamy message of love and how it can never seem to last.
Email Laura Schmidt at opinions@cardinalpointsonline.com
