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Kirsty Hawkshaw Meta Message
Nettwerk
Kirsty Hawkshaw, formerly of the mildly-successful Opus III, returns to the music world with the solo release Meta Message. During her work in the early 90s, Kirsty (through her work with groups like Orbital and Hybrid) helped lend new dimensions to dance music by combining female vocals with ethereal dance beats.
Track listing:
01 Just Be Me
02 Fine Day [James Holden Remix]
03 Reach for Me
04 Nature's Kingdom
05 Walking on Clouds
06 Battleship Grey
07 Sincere for You
08 Blackout
09 Split
10 All I Want
11 Beautiful Danger
12 Whisper
Meta Message doesn’t exactly break any new ground, but it’s a nice addition to Hawkshaw’s body of work and her vocals are as strong as ever. Opener “Just Be Me” thrives with an inescapable energy and stylish techno aftertaste. The James Holden remix of her early hit “Fine Day” proves that you can’t always leave your past behind. If Hawkshaw wants to be taken seriously as a solo artist, it’s time to let this early 90s thumper die, even if it was a #1.
“Reach for Me” shamelessly piles on the lyrical clichés (“Take me to higher ground…You build me up so don’t let me down”) but has the kind of beat that makes it forgivable. “Reach for Me” simmers with a sincere singer-songwriter style, proving that Hawkshaw is still living in the 90s. The same template of gentle, often danceable girl pop is repeated often, whether through the dreamy “Nature’s Kingdom” or the trancey “Battleship Grey.” And no, with lines like “Uncertainty, I could be bathing under artificial light/Under twilight blue, starts to mesmerize,” Hawkshaw isn’t set up to be the next Morrissey. But the point of Meta Message is to be emotionally stirring, and numbers like the instant club hits “All I Want” and “Walking on Clouds” are fantastic experts at just that.
Some songs never quite hit the heart, as in “Blackout,” which becomes overwhelmed by technique and production. Clearly, Hawkshaw’s voice is strong enough that it thrives best in a stripped-down environment. Meta Message isn’t going to change the world, but it might just make the world dance. In some ways, that’s a far more valuable goal.
