Olivia d'Abo has been a part of my life for years, and I didn't even know it. The singer/songwriter and actress is the daughter of Mike d'Abo, lead singer for Manfred Mann's Earth Band, she sang a duet with Jon Bon Jovi on "Livin' On A Prayer" for Bon Jovi's oddball but charming acoustic record This Left Feels Right, and she had a bit role in one of my favorite sitcoms of the Nineties, Spin City. Now comes Not TV.
Although she has been compared to Tori Amos, PJ Harvey and even Sade, d'Abo is more pleasing on the ears (especially male ears). Her sexy and alternately sweet and smoky voice, combined with a smooth and cool presence, belies some of these 10 songs' dark and rich undercurrents — which may be one reason that Not TV was released by the adventurous label Inner Knot, home of King Crimson, Robert Fripp and David Sylvian. The singer's best work comes near album's end: On "Wide Open Spaces," d'Abo lays bare her emotions with a strong melody carrying lyrics about innocence and love lost, while the low-key "Caroline" is anchored by a smoldering guitar solo and somber piano drops. Simply put, Not TV is good music.
Track Listing:
1) Undertow
2) Half Mad
3) Revolution
4) Ne'er do Well
5) Medicine Girl
6) When I Was Bad
7) Addicted
8) Wide Open Spaces
9) Caroline
10) Catastrophe
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