[.ca] 1991-2004: Peel Sessions

From Amazon.com:
PJ Harvey does her best work naked. For all the tantalizing changes in direction over the past 15 years, it was the British songwriter's barebones debut, Rid of Me (and its raw companion piece, 4-Track Demos), that made the greatest impression. These recordings from the late John Peel's celebrated BBC Radio show see her returning time and again to her basic blues roots, offering delightfully bruised takes on both early classics like "Sheela-Na-Gig," from her first performance on the show, through "You Come Through," a track that was recorded at a tribute shortly after Peel's passing. Along the way, there are plenty of rarities, stylistic diversions, and traces of dark humor to make Harvey fans wish the package could have been twice as long. --Aidin Vaziri

A Must Purchase:
PJ Harvey is always best when she keeps the production raw and sparse, and on the Peel sessions all we get is drums and guitars, sometimes just guitars. The selection is a mix of album cuts and b-sides. The sound on this cd is sparkling. The PJ Harvey cd Dry needs a remastering job, to punch up the sound, so its a great treat that 4 songs from that album are on this set, they never sounded better. Oh My Lover,Victory, Sheela- Na- Gig, and Water. Beautiful Feeling from Stories From The City, is another stand out track, her singing here is haunting. Naked Cousin, Wang Dang Doodle,Snake, and This Wicked Tongue show the men how to rock. This is a perfect cd, in a setting that is just right for PJ Harvey, i only hope she will release more of her Peel recordings.

• Oh My Lover
• Victory
• Sheela-Na-Gig
• Water
• Naked Cousin
• Wang Dang Doodle
• Losing Ground
• Snake
• That Was My Veil
• This Wicked Tongue
• Beautiful Feeling
• You Come Through