Posted on: February 9, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 1

Fiona Joy Hawkins – Ice: Piano Slightly Chilled / 2007 Self / 10 Tracks / http://www.fionajoyhawkins.com /

Fiona Joy Hawkins is rapidly becoming a household name. One just needs to look at the hit count for her music video or “Penguin Whisperer”, which has exceeded 11,000 plays on popular video service Youtube. “Iced Rain” starts off the disc, and it shows Hawkins as immediately bringing listeners into the fold. The atmospheric electronic sounds of the opening to “Iced Rain” allow in some disparate elements; hints of tribal and classical genres are present as well during the track’s first minute. The strongest facet to “Iced Rain” is the fact that Hawkins is able to imbue the track with a narrative component, despite the fact that the opening section of the track is instrumental.

“Frosted View” is a much more slow and deliberate track, a song that shows that Hawkins can create an intricate story with a Spartan approach to arrangement. The inclusion of organic and inorganic elements to “Frosted View” takes the composition to an entirely new level. The eclectic approach of Hawkins makes for one of the most interesting tracks on the entirety of “Ice: Piano Slightly Chilled”, and shows again that Hawkins is skilled enough to tell a voluminous story without needing to include vocals. “Antarctic Wings” shows listeners another aspect of Hawkins’ skill; the track is able to capture the geographic sense of the track’s title as well as the coolness mentioned by the album’s title. There is a brief hint of current R&B influence in “Love In The Refrigerator”, which for me gives Hawkins that added push. This push keeps individuals interested in what Hawkins commits to disc, as the shifting sounds put forth on “Ice” ensure that listeners will not be able to guess where Hawkins will go on subsequent tracks.

In much the same way as “Love In The Refrigerator”, “Winter Cold” changes things up considerably through the inclusion of a new genre of music – this time, Hawkins places in a little bit of a Latin flair to the track. The inclusion of these differing styles of music does not only bring different sounds into the disc, but also is something to draw in a wider array of fans. After listeners have been snared by a play to a Latin or R&B style, the smart arrangements of Hawkins are enough to keep individuals interested throughout the rest of the disc. Give the disc a go if you like smartly-constructed, atmospheric types of music.

Top Tracks: White View, Snow Bird

Rating: 7.2/10

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