INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Ten years on from her chart-smashing debut,The Sound Of White, Missy Higgins finds herself in very different surrounds. Rather than an earnest up-and-comer, she’s now an established name within Australian music, as well as an expectant mother and acclaimed songwriter over the course of three albums.
It’s interesting, then, that someone so well-known for the songs she has written herself has filled her fourth album with songs she didn’t write. Oz is a tribute to an endless array of Australian performers, ranging from contemporaries like Dan Sultan and The Drones to older influences such as Slim Dusty and Don Walker. Each song is delivered earnestly and with a twist – Paul Kelly’s ‘Before Too Long’ is re-imagined as a slow waltz with Amanda Palmer, while The Go-Betweens’ brisk ‘Was There Anything I Could Do?’ is slowed to a crawl and properly pined over. Swelling orchestration floats over several tracks, while Higgins’ distinctive vocals add a personal touch and a true connection to each song’s story.
An inventive twist on the covers album, Oz is a serene, moving collection of homegrown songs that have been given a new lease on life. A completely unexpected charm.
4/5.
Ozis out now through Eleven.
