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Oct 14, 2020 Hannah Georgas By Andy Von Pip

Before working with Taylor Swift on her critically acclaimed “surprise lockdown” album Folklore, Aaron Dessner (The National) had already began working with Canadian musician Hannah Georgas on her fourth album, All That Emotion. Although being a somewhat different artistic beast to Folklore, it is an album imbued with the same sense of space with Dessner’s production affording Georgas’ voice the space to breathe. Indeed in the press materials, Georgas states, “Aaron and I agreed the production needed to bring out the truth in my voice. During these sessions we musically found a new depth and, vocally, a delivery that was more raw and expressive, allowing the emotional texture of each song to shine through.”

And yet in bringing out that truth the production can sound at times almost a little too reverential. Dessner ensures the album gently undulates along, adding a shimmering veneer to Georgas’ understated melancholia but it does get a little repetitive both sonically and thematically. When the tempo does pick up a tad Georgas’ beautiful mellifluous vocal does engage and draw the listener in. “Just a Phase,” for example, is a beautifully judged track and “Someone I Don’t Know” and “That Emotion” really do pack subtle yet powerful emotional punches.

Anybody who has experienced the intense highs and lows in a relationship will be able to identify with many of the sentiments Georgas so eloquently expresses. There’s a sense of raw vulnerability, of fear, loss, and hope all presented quite beautifully, and in a gentle, considered, and reflective way. However the gentle sparsity of the production and contemplative delivery adds to the overall feeling that it’s all a little one-paced and as a body of work it never quite opens its wings and soars. (www.hannahgeorgas.com)

Author rating: 6.5/10