Magic Mirror

In a pleasing tangle of sun-warmed melodies and 1970s influences, Pearl Charles strikes a confident, if laid-back tone on Magic Mirror, her sophomore album. The Los Angeles native has been bubbling under the radar for nearly a decade, trying her hand in a variety of indie subsets from lo-fi Americana to garage and psychedelia before landing on a more polished amalgam of vintage flavored country-pop and West Coast soft rock. Her 2018 debut, Sleepless Dreamer, showed plenty of promise and laid the framework for the more fully realized sound she achieves here. As merry a romp as it is, opener Only For Tonight sets a bit of a misleading tone as both its boisterous mood and ABBA-inspired disco pop are never again repeated during the set. After this, Charles finds her groove, turning in a bevy of tightly-crafted gems with flirt with various facets of the 70s pop from the Fleetwood Mac stylings of What I Need and Slipping Away to the sweet All the Way which pairs swooping George Harrison-esque guitar leads with bubblegum uplift. Sweet Sunshine Wine is another standout whose easy hooks give way to a marvelously campy psychedelic breakdown. The production and arrangements throughout are impeccable, warm, and well-suited to the kind of thoughtful, low-key songwriting at which Charles excels. Neither basking in its vintage flavor or overplaying its strengths, Its the kind of subtle record that reveals its pleasures through repeated listens. Even Charles voice is a comfort; after a decade of mainstream mumblers and overwrought affectations, her enunciated vocal style brings a conversational tone to the songs. While similar in feel to her debut, Magic Mirror is a significant step forward for Charles who really steps up her game here. ~ Timothy Monger

〈ジューン・カーターとラナ・デル・レイの出会い〉とも評されたLAのシンガー・ソングライターが3年ぶりの2作目をリリース。ノーランズやアバを想起させるエレガントなディスコ調の"Only For Tonight"からしてもう素晴らしすぎるが、開放的なポップネスとカントリー・ソウル感覚を織り交ぜたアーシーな歌世界は全編を通じて実にまろやか。ナチュラルな歌い口にカレン・カーペンターやカーリー・サイモンを思わせる瞬間もある。
bounce (C)出嶌孝次