[.ca] Amorino

From Amazon.com:
Isobel Campbell, former cellist and vocalist with Belle and Sebastian and the main force behind the Gentle Waves, turns in a laidback debut under her own name. A pleasantly jazzy, sophisticated companion piece to her tribute to Billie Holiday released in 2002, Amorino sounds like a lost soundtrack to some cool French film from the 1960s. There's quite a lot of variation, and the arrangements are subtle throughout. "Monologue for an Old True Love," for one, melds Morricone horns and strings to a Spector-ish drum sound, swinging Wes Montgomery-ish guitar lines and a chorus that quietly explodes into girl group harmony. Elsewhere, elements are reminiscent of Joao Gilberto, Marine Girls, Nick Drake, Lee Hazlewood, and Smokey and Miho. There's even some straight-ahead Dixieland jazz on "The Cat's Pyjamas." Her voice may barely rise above a whisper on every track, but Amorino is unabashedly unironic, delicately joyous, and the perfect prelude to a nap some lazy Sunday afternoon. --Mike McGonigal

Breezy, Melancholy Chamber Pop:
Former Belle & Sebastian vocalist and cellist, Isobel Campbell, delivers her first solo CD "Amorino". Campbell's whispery voice, combined with a varied set of instruments (strings on most tracks, flute, guitars, vibraphone, moog, and drums, pots and pans) creates a magical, breezy and melancholy atmosphere. There are hints of bossa nova and jazz scattered throughout the album which keeps the tone from becoming too blue. This is the perfect chamber pop CD for those lonely, rainy Sunday afternoons. At just under 45 minutes in length, Campbell's "Amorino" keeps the listener yearning for more of the same. This is a CD that doesn't over-stay its welcome and will demand repeated listens. Highly recommended.

• Amorino
• The Breeze Whispered Your Name
• Monologue For An Old True Love
• October's Say
• The Cat's Pyjamas
• Why Does My Head Hurt So?
• Johnny Come Home
• Poor Butterfly
• Love For Tomorrow
• There Is No Greater Gold
• This Land Floods With Milk
• Song For Baby
• Time Is Just The Same