Anthea De Milo The Vicar’s Daughter (Self-Released)

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Anthea De Milo is The Vicar’s Daughter. She is also a resident of Christchurch and, I don’t know what they are spiking the water with down there, but I’ll have some!

If all you did was glance at the cover of The Vicar’s Daughter, or view the video for the song, Mama Got It Bad, you may be tempted to dismiss Anthea as something of a novelty act.

That would be a mistake.

Despite the giant ginger pussy on the cover and the knife-wielding Carmen Miranda-like figure she cuts in the video, Anthea De Milo proves, through the 10 tracks that comprise The Vicar’s Daughter, that she is indeed, an artist worthy of our attention.

Don’t get me wrong, Mama Got It Bad is a great track, powered by the Muddy Waters-styled guitar riff played by co-producer Adam Hattaway. But this Vicar’s Daughter knows how to go from the pulpit to the profane. I’m sure ol’ Jerry Lee will be smiling somewhere once he hears Anthea’s version of Just A Closer Walk With Thee…in fact The Killer himself recorded the hymn as did Patsy Cline and Willie Nelson.

Speaking of…Anthea does indeed cover Willie’s Crazy as made famous by Patsy, so the circle is indeed unbroken.

But let’s not overlook Anthea’s own compositions…eight songs that are eerie, moody, twangy  and stately…melodic and personal, yet with themes that are universal.

Highlights for me are on side two of the disk…This Dark Night is a beaut of a 50-style piano ballad, followed by the twangy-noir of Prettier Than Morphine and then the introspective Nobody Wins In This Town…I’m getting a Springsteen/Dylan vibe…and that’s not a bad thing.

Along with co-producers Adam Hattaway and Elmore Jones (of The Haunters), we hear Michael Kine on bass, Greg Knowles on trumpet and Thomas Isbister on vocals. The production is beautifully understated and De Milo’s voice is a work of art (around town they call her Pipes).

So, do yourself a favour this holiday season and stuff your stocking with a copy of The Vicar’s Daughter.

Marty Duda

Click here to watch the 13th Floor MusicTalk interview with Anthea De Milo

 

Marty Duda
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