Lovesongs For Underdogs

Entertainment Weekly - "...reflects a too-thoughtful intelligence: Her songs show the strain of effort. But the few tracks that reveal an emotional core...are irresistable..." - Rating: B Rolling Stone - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "...she balances her usual insouciance with more ambitious, creatively orchestrated songwriting....This album marks the first time that Donelly has ventured into rugged emotional terrain..." Musician - "...a newly direct approach that makes her previous efforts seem like the work of a timid soul....there's real passion in the best tracks, and even the middling material boasts a bracing edge....Donelly is negotiating adulthood with grace and eloquence..." Option - "...Swirling, chiming, rocking, singing guitars are around every corner, and Donelly's beautiful breathy voice...has an edge of vulnerability....the songs are sharp and memorable. A solid, sweet, infectious set." Melody Maker - "...Of course, there's nothing new here but then Donelly's talent was always to startle us with the old. To shed fresh light on the familiar...make us realise just how compelling normality can be." Rolling Stone (9/4/97, p.68) - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "...she balances her usual insouciance with more ambitious, creatively orchestrated songwriting....This album marks the first time that Donelly has ventured into rugged emotional terrain..." Musician (11/97, p.90) - "...a newly direct approach that makes her previous efforts seem like the work of a timid soul....there's real passion in the best tracks, and even the middling material boasts a bracing edge....Donelly is negotiating adulthood with grace and eloquence..." Melody Maker (9/13/97, p.48) - "...Of course, there's nothing new here but then Donelly's talent was always to startle us with the old. To shed fresh light on the familiar...make us realise just how compelling normality can be." Entertainment Weekly (9/19/97, p.85) - "...reflects a too-thoughtful intelligence: Her songs show the strain of effort. But the few tracks that reveal an emotional core...are irresistable..." - Rating: B Option (11-12/97, p.92-93) - "...Swirling, chiming, rocking, singing guitars are around every corner, and Donelly's beautiful breathy voice...has an edge of vulnerability....the songs are sharp and memorable. A solid, sweet, infectious set."

On her first solo effort, LOVESONGS FOR UNDERDOGS, Tanya Donelly makes it plain that she can still write smart pop music. While quirky at times, LOVESONGS FOR UNDERDOGS refuses to be over-wrought with sentimentality. Throughout the album, there are echoes of Donelly's former bands, Belly and Throwing Muses. The songs mostly utilise a simple drum set and straightforward bass lines while guitars drone and hum. There's very little repetition here, and Donelly's impressive voice dominates, thanks to her knack for switching seamlessly from subdued beauty to condensed anger.|