Search - Hannah Fury :: The Thing That Feels

Amazing mix of storytelling lyrics and beautiful melodies

wow1973 | Netherlands | 12/04/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I heard this album, it blew me away, like in the song Away of this album. Hannah's music immediatly reminded me of early Kate Bush as far as the songwriting is concerned, Tori Amos' piano playing, and the singing style of Lisa Germano. But still, Hannah's style is her own - the way she keeps you pinned to your chair, listening to her musical stories - I've not yet experienced this with any other artist. This album includes a 5 song mini-epic inspired by the book Wicked - which is an interesting take. Her voice is simply gorgeous, especially on the songs Love Today, Away and Vampire Waltz. All those people out there who are into beautiful, unique female voices in the Tori Amos/Kate Bush/Happy Rhodes spectrum, well crafted melodies and mysterious yet strong lyrics should definately order this album (plus her other two EP's Soul Poison and Meathook..."

Gorgeous haunting album

Jeffrey J Hanson | Albuquerque, NM USA | 12/05/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Hannah Fury's first full-length release is a collection of songs that could have been written by Tori Amos, if she were a touch more gothic and a little bit more restrained. This collection of songs creates an effective mood of mystery, folklore, and legend, without ever getting too dark or serious. Five of the songs are based on Gregory Maguire's excellent novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked WItch of the West. A very promising debut that makes Hannah Fury an artist to watch.(Also check out her debut EP--Soul Poison).
"

Deceptively subtle

Jeffrey J Hanson | 08/08/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This one will sneak up on you. On first listen, you'll notice that "The Thing That Feels" is a darkly beautiful album, but you'll suspect that there's much more to it than just dark beauty. If you listen a few more times, you'll gradually become aware of the vast amounts of talent, passion, intelligence and emotion contained in each song.Although Hannah Fury possesses one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard, there's nothing flashy here. She never shows off by belting out those stratospheric notes that I suspect she's very capable of reaching. And her piano playing sounds pretty and passionate but otherwise unremarkable, until you realize that she's actually developed a fairly unique style that suits her songs perfectly.But piano is just the skeleton for Fury's music. The songs have been fleshed out by the layering of her angelic voice in unexpected harmonies that build and swirl around the main vocals without ever obscuring the brilliant lyrics. Production-wise, she could have easily gone overboard with these techniques, but the entire album was mixed with just the right amount of restraint.As for Miss Fury's lyrics, they really couldn't be any more perfect. In fact, I wouldn't hesitate to put her right up there with Dylan, Cobain and Cohen. These are the type of songs from which different listeners will glean vastly different meaning, and each listener will be convinced that his or her particular interpretation is the only possible interpretation. I'm not saying that the songs are cryptic, necessarily, but that they can easily work on several different levels... if you want them to. "The Vampire Waltz" can simply be a majestically beautiful song about vampires, if that's all you want it to be, or it can be a devastating love song. Is "Not Like You" about a swamp creature or a misunderstood artist or something else entirely? It all depends on what you NEED for the song to be."The Thing That Feels" has slowly, methodically attached itself to my soul, and it refuses to let go."