Strings
Prolific, you might call her. Whether it is her musical output or her brood of children, Kristin Hersh is a busy, creative soul. In 1994, after guiding her bandThrowing Musesthrough several influential albums, Hersh acknowledged her desire for a solo career. The overflow of songs and ideas from her solo debut,Hips and Makers, wound up onStrings, an EP named for its chamber arrangements of four songs from the full-length album. "Me and My Charms" gives a revolvingPhilip Glass-like decorum to the more austere original. The simple piano and childlike vocals of "Beestung" show Hersh's use of vocal shading to enhance the lyrical intricacy of the song. By contrast, "Sundrops" features the jagged poetic delivery we normally associate withPatti Smith. To her great credit, Hersh is able to reinterpret her own well-loved originals and show us that a song isn't always finished when the final take is recorded.--Lois Maffeo