Liz Tormes “Limelight” (Velour, 2008)

Far from the limelight, the darkness holds sway

A hollow-eyed and knowing face looks out from the cover of “Limelight”. It’s a face that promises knowledge of shadows rather than light, a face that belies the album title. As with the picture, so with the music. In said title track, a bitter kiss-off to an ex-lover, the delicacy of the playing and tune belie the cutting words, and Tormes builds on this with “Maybe You Won’t”, on which Teddy Thompson makes his first appearance and she sings “happiness is fleeting” over a choppy acoustic guitar. Good though these songs are they are but hors d-oeuvres to the album centrepiece “Black Luck”. Six minutes of intense, brooding darkness encapsulated in the verse “When I heard the key in the latch/he said “your eyes are black as hell”/and I replied “that’s just as well/I’ve got a heart to match” Tormes’ guitar shimmers softly in the background while she intones the vocals as though she’s in church. It’s a mesmerising and haunting performance that makes it almost impossible to listen to the rest of the album, as its memory overshadows everything else. If you persevere though you’ll discover “Better Days” swinging along with a hint of hope, albeit not unconditional, and closer “Fade Away” (“This darkness has been a friend to me”) which encapsulates her Janus-esque darkness and light.

Despite a couple of lesser tracks, “Read My Mind” being more Kim Richey circa “Bittersweet” than Ms Richey herself and “Without Truth” ploughing a pretty close furrow too, this is an impressive piece of work. Carving out a place for herself somewhere between Nick Cave and Lal Waterson Liz Tormes is definitely one to watch.

Date review added:  Sunday, May 18, 2008
Reviewer:  Jeremy Searle
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Related web link:  Artist website