Even as far back as 2000’s You Think It’s Like This But It’s
Really Like This, singer-songwriter Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn seemed
wise and poised beyond her years, a cool-customer eternal roaming among
us mortals in the form of a very young, very particular woman. Five
years have passed since C’mon, Miracle; during that
in-the-wilderness half-decade, Mirah issued a two-disc remix
collection, a greatest-hits comp and a collaborative record with
instrumental outfit Spectratone International.
With (A)spera, this sultry siren — whose voice is as
smooth and soothing as a Mississippi River stone — finally takes
on a solo project that’s as under control and composed as she is. This
might be a matter of maturity on the part of Mirah and longtime
producer Phil Elverum, who’s behind the boards for three songs here;
their earlier efforts together (especially 2001’s Advisory
Committee) tended to be as wildly schizophrenic as they were
compelling. (A)spera, on the other hand, somehow manages
to hopscotch genres without rocking the boat at all. The
country-and-western lilt of “Education,” the Sergio Mendes-lite appeal
of “Country of the Future” and the meandering folk of “The River” all
co-exist comfortably together under one impeccably stitched
umbrella.
— Ray Cummings
This article appears in Apr 1-7, 2009.
