Until the Hunter by
Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions
Sandoval has a perfectly constructed singing voice putting her in the elite of the elite a la Sinéad O'Connor and Beth Gibbons of white pop stars. Her beauty and that voice... I saw Mazzy Star in their prime in Portland... it takes about a thousandth of a second before your heart is entirely surrendered and you know beyond any doubt that you’ll always be relegated to second best at best. In short, it’s painful to see something so beautiful. A heaven that’s not for your.
The songs on this records still have to be good but Sandoval’s voice is the real attraction and it is indeed flawless. The songs are great, too.
The album clocks in at 58:56. It ranges from very good to great. If it was trimmed to just the greatness it would be unassailable. I know in the digital age it’s hard to forfeit very good material but editing is still an essential process.