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Nearly thirty years after her debut with the Banshees, Siouxsie can still sneer and storm as fiercely as ever.
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An album filled with singles that should be instant hits.
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Mantaray, Siouxsie's blazing solo debut, earns accolades with no trace of fatigue, padding, or confusion, as on-it and of-the-moment as Justin Timberlake.
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You could say the closing, piano-and-strings showcase 'Heaven and Alchemy' borrows from some of them. But as a whole. Mantaray proves it's much more the other way 'round.
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Mantaray's sound is distinctly modern, filtered through the lush electronic textures of Garbage, Portishead, even Björk, but it's Siouxsie voice--trembling and echoing all at once--that reaffirms the album's urgency.
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Loud, brash, but never cocksure, Mantaray swaggers like a cat in heat.
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However, even with the musical trappings of contemporary conventional rock, Siouxsie’s voice and look, blessedly, remain the same.
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The commanding Siouxsie continues to be a force to be reckoned with, as she both bears and bares her personal pain on this album, bringing a bittersweet weariness and frank vulnerability to her song lyrics and vocals.
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The moments of "hey, that sounds a bit like ..." are few, but notable; and perhaps unavoidable with such a distinctive vocal presence. In any case, these are welcome echoes from the past, not a weary retracing of footsteps.
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After thirty years, Souxise's still twice as interesting as three people half her age.
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It's a success, without doubt.
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Siouxsie has always seemed fearless and unstoppable; while this is refreshing, it is unnerving to see her shatter the persona she has so slavishly created for herself.
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I have finally arrived at the conclusion that this record somehow actually works. Quite well in fact, so much so that by the time 'Here Comes The Day' reaches its glittering, Broadway-themed conclusion, one almost forgets whose name is on the front cover.
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After a strong start, though, the album gets a bit flat, with some songs like 'One Mile Below' sounding dramatic enough but also too reminiscent of past Banshees/Creatures highlights to truly stand out.
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Siouxsie concentrates all her eccentric music powers on her first solo album ever, one where you don’t have to keep telling yourself "but it’s Siouxsie" to pay attention.
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SpinSlight echoes of her past work seep through, but mostly she's casting a refreshing new spell. [Nov 2007, p.125]
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A few tracks may drag along the way, especially the aptly titled social critique 'Drone Zone,' but they're worth it to reach the final and finest, 'Heaven and Alchemy.'
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Powerful, gritty, and personal, the lyrics and delivery growlingly echo the sound of a woman coming into her own and rediscovering herself after having been entrenched in a long relationship.
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MojoMantaray, however, displays a passion and conviction that shows an artist unhappy to rest on her numerous laurels. [Sep 2007, p.102]
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It's been four long years since the Banshees' last live release. But now we have a CD of brand new material from the high priestess of punk herself. And she doesn't disappoint.
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her first solo album after 30 years in the business is a mostly uplifting affair summed up by Into a Swan's confident, stomping beats and lines such as: "I feel a force I've never felt before."
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The industrial grind of single 'Into A Swan,' glammed-up trashiness of 'About To Happen' and sinister alienation of 'Loveless' prove she's still the uncompromising outsider at heart.
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Q MagazineThis is easily her best album in 20 years. [Oct 2007, p.105]
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Under The RadarWhile the successful execution of her solo pop record is admirable, and Mantaray stands favorably poised to be the next shining example of British “quality” pop music....Artists of their ilk are always more exciting and satisfying when they and their music are a bit freakish. [Fall 2007, p.81]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 17 out of 22
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Mixed: 1 out of 22
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Negative: 4 out of 22
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alexanderh.Nov 5, 2007Powerful, haunting, Siouxsie is in top form. She is uncompromising, focused, and stronger than any other female in music today.
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cholets.Oct 30, 2007GENIAL!!!!!
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JyotirmayaD.Oct 23, 2007