By the horns

Description

After winning the hearts of hundreds of thousands alongside her brother Angus with the album Down the way (platinum record), Julia Stone returns with a brilliant new album. She notably shines alongside Benjamin Biolay on the single "Let's Forget," where the suave timbre of the French crooner admirably responds to the sweet and catchy interpretation of the Australian. Her songs have been entrusted to director Thomas Bartlett (Doveman, Antony & the Johnsons, The National). With talent and the help of Patrick Dilett (Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey), he was able to extract the essence, chiseling the atmospheres, arranging the breaths, highlighting the arrangements of the luminous By The Horns. The bass of Oren Bloedow (Elysian Fields, Lounge Lizards) supports the languorous and mischievous voice of the Australian, while Rob Moose (Bon Iver, My Brightest Diamond, Antony & the Johnsons) lays the foundations of her strings (violin and viola), responding to Bartlett's sparkling keyboards. On drums, Brett Devendorf (The National) expertly leads the rhythmic swells, an abyssal pulse echoing fragile supplications ("I'm here, I'm not here") or solid support encouraging Julia to push back against a too-pressing lover ("Justine"). Sweet and fragile at the same time, caught between discomfort and desire, Julia Stone wanders, moving between a cover of The National ("Bloodbuzz Ohio"), a piano refrain accompanying a poetic plea ("It's all Okay"), or a heartbreaking lullaby, dark and lively at the same time, concluding the album ("The Line that ties me"). By the Horns reveals the uniqueness of an artist with a one-of-a-kind voice and confirms the rise of a brilliant, sunny, radiant personality, emancipated from the weight of her past successes.