REVIEW: Eddi Reader, Candyfloss And Medicine (Reprise)

- Lang Whitaker

It's a lot like the way you feel when you're on your first date, sitting next to your true love in a darkened movie theatre. Emotions rage inside your belly: Should I go for it? Will I be accepted? And then in a flash it happens.....and the next thing you know your fingers are intertwined with those of the person you're in love with. All of the insecurities and turmoil inside you boil down into a gumbo of delicious joy and ecstasy. That weightless gravity is exactly the way you feel the first time you hear Eddi Reader wrap her voice around a melody.

On Candyfloss And Medicine, which is only Reader's third solo album, Reader bounces through a collection of songs that showcase her captivating tones beautifully. The best way I can think of to describe Reader's sound is The Cranberries minus the pubescent vocal cracks and teen-age angst. Reader, who originally hails from the UK, more or less mines the same vein that 10,000 Maniacs uncovered before Natalie Merchant defected - mature, airy, acoustic-based songs with a hint of world groove to them.

The first song on the disc, "Glascow Star", takes its beat from two guys slapping their knees, and then takes off from there. "Semi-Precious" asks "Why do the ones/ who love the most / hurt the most?" Good question, Eddi. Other standout tracks include "Lazy Heart" and "Sugar on the Pill". All of the songs on Candyfloss And Medicine dwell in the same folk family, except for a brief detour into lounge music halfway through the disc. As an album, Candyfloss And Medicine holds together extremely well - you can almost sit and listen all the way through over and over again.

Collaborating with Reader on this record are a disparate collection of performers, who surprisingly mesh very well. Reader produced the entire album herself, with co-production help coming from Teddy Borowiecki (who formerly sat in with k.d. lang and Jane Siberry) and Boo Hewerdine, who hooked up with Reader before in the Trash Can Sinatras. Also appearing on several tracks is renowned bassist David Piltch.

Although I had heard of her, I had never heard Eddi Reader sing before listening to this album, and I was shocked at how good it was. I listened to it for about a week straight, which is world record length for me. If you've ever fallen under the spell of 10,000 Maniacs or The Cranberries, I highly recommend giving Eddi Reader a shot. I bet she casts her spell on you, too.