- Record Label: Nettwerk
- Release Date: Sep 29, 2009
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This is a record to be drunk from deeply, preferably in solitude, along with a bottle of whatever makes you purr as warmly as Sandoval and her Inventions can--and evidently still do--at their best.
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So, after eight long years, fans of Sandoval finally have something to be excited about, for Through the Devil Softly does not disappoint.
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UncutHer husky drawl of a voice remains as precious and fragile as a chandelier, and it well suits these insidiously melodic, intimate songs. [Oct 2009, p.110]
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I’ll be listening to Through the Devil Softly for years to come.
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This is music to lose yourself in during the long cold winter nights.
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It sounds like it was worth the wait for Sandoval and O'Ciosoig and it's a welcome return for fans of her music, and also for fans of late-night, melancholy balladry that will break your heart and ease you gently into dreams.
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Soft and slipper-shod as it may seem, there's a complex coldness to Sandoval's lyrical persona.
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There's no real standout track--no 'Fade Into You' for this decade--but it's a good listen while it lasts, a thing of slow, sad grace.
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She purrs every song in slow motion--but given lyrics like "We're like the roses/Stoned in the backyard," that's probably the point.
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To most listeners, though, Through the Devil Softly will simply function as a collection of breathily perfect lullabies.
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Under The RadarDevil reveals itself slowly--very, very slowly--over repeated listens. [Fall 2009, p.66]
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The lack of instruments coupled with Sandoval’s unvarying singing style lead to mind-wandering and reminiscing about her past work, like the killer hook she added to the Jesus and Mary Chain’s Sometimes Always.
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MojoToo much of the rest meanders through trickling streams of acoustic guitar and somnambulant vocals without ever detaining you for long. [Nov 2009, p.97]
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Q MagazinePerplexingly, the arrangements are so sparse that there's not quite enough fully formed songs to carry the album off. [Nov 2009, p.112]