OZ
Missy Higgins
(ELEVEN)
It is sometimes hard to grasp the concept of why an original, established song-writer, would want to make a cover album. However, if you are thinking of doing so, I suggest you first check out Oz. Instantaneously, Missy Higgins lets it be known that this is not “just another covers album”.
Higgins’ Oz is both an album and a book. An album covering 15 great Australian songs as well as a quirky book of related essay’s, of which is essentially an album in its own right.
Featured artists include some of my personal favourites: Kate Miller Heidke, Dan Sultan, and renowned Punk/Cabaret performer Amanda Palmer. Of the 15 brand new Higgins-versions, she has included a diverse range of Australian tracks! From Paul Kelly’s ‘Before too Long’ to Something for Kate’s ‘You only Hide’, there is even a fantastic rendition of the indigenous anthem ‘Blackfella/Whitefella’. The songstress states, “It didn’t matter when or where they were written or whether they were well known. All that mattered was whether I felt I could make them my own.”
Producing an incredible, live – and at times – theatrical performance, Higgins presents an array of unconventional arrangements. Showcasing heavy vocal layers and harmonies, rhythmically driven piano, and real-life stories written by a variety of people, Oz is real.
Highlight tracks NYE, Back To The Wall, and Curse On You.
MADDISON WILSON