- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
While "Real Life" was so fully realized that it seemed to have a life of its own, To Survive feels more like songs written by somebody than something that materialized because it had to.
-
'To America’ comes across very much a modern take on West Side Story replete with fine vocal performances from its central pair, sweeping strings and ebullient brass, it’s a jubilant finale to an album that, while never quite surpassing the evocative beauty of the band’s first, matches it with a keen flourish.
-
It's much darker, more contemplative territory; the songs are like intimate nocturnes located somewhere between classical and soul.
-
Her emotion-rich songs have become tender affirmations, such as the hope-sprinkled 'Honor My Wishes.' And the needling guitar, soulful brass and gothic piano of her "punk rock R&B" are more evocative than ever.
-
An uncompromising work from an uncompromising artist, To Survive doesn't zip or sizzle. But yield to its gentle undulations and its hypnotic, brooding and utterly original genius becomes clear.
-
Dazzling sophomore effort from New York singer-songwriter.
-
UncutVoice and piano are to the fore, but Wasser's orchestrations pulse and ebb like living things. [July 2008, p.102]
-
Joan Wasser has shown herself to be an assured torch singer and original artist. To Survive is a challenge at times, but ultimately rewarding.
-
Q MagazineTo Survive, however, ignites enough fireworks of its own. [July 2008, p.1112]
-
On To Survive, her second release under the moniker Joan As Police Woman, she casts the same torchy, seductive, chamber-pop spell that made her debut "Real Life" such a pleasure, only doing it even more effectively this time.
-
This music can be difficult, but through its brooding emotional core and sophisticated, understated arrangements To Survive is also one of the most satisfying albums of 2008, melancholic and unloveable though it may often be.
-
Wasser’s a collaborator at heart (she was a charter member of the Dambuilders and worked with Lou Reed, Antony & the Johnsons and Rufus Wainwright, who guests on “To America”), and she sounds most natural when she’s backed by horns and keys and backing vox and slinky grooves.
-
For her second album, she flexes more ambition, and the results are rewarding. [June 2008, p.110]
-
While it doesn’t quite bring one up short as "Real Life" did, To Survive does something arguably even more valuable; it shows that the debut was in no way a fluke, and that Joan As Police Woman are in this for the long haul.
-
Under The RadarDespite a few lapses into the conventional, Wasser has crafted the deepest and most profound album of her career. [Summer 2008]
-
To Survive is both sparser and more polished than last year's "Real Life." [Summer 2008, p.107]
-
MojoGiven the backdrop to Joan Wasser's second album was her mother's passing to cancer, it's unsurprising that To Survive also packs a soporific sadness that can be draining despite our hostess's artistry. [July 2008, p.110]
-
Its title notwithstanding, To Survive is JAPW's happy-in-love album, and the lack of tension--romantic, musical, or otherwise--causes it to drag.
-
It starts strong (with the pensive 'Honor Wishes'), and ends on a high note (with the title track leading into 'To America,' Wasser's duet with Wainwright). Unfortunately, the middle of the album, burdened with turgid low points.
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 10 out of 10
-
Mixed: 0 out of 10
-
Negative: 0 out of 10
-
DejanS.Aug 20, 2008Not good as debut, but hell yes, this album is some kind of magic dream!
-
ChrisCJun 19, 2008
-
mattallenJun 16, 2008