Hannah Peel is an incredibly versatile musician – and when she isn’t playing piano, violin or music box, she can be found singing her own stuff – of which 2011’s album ‘The Broken Wave’ was especially lovely. This, though, presents a different side to her personality, a second mini-album of covers. Whereas the first found her covering songs by New Order and Soft Cell, ‘Rebox 2’ feels more up to date with the inclusion of songs by John Grant (‘Pale Green Ghosts’), Perfume Genius (‘Queen’) and Wild Beasts (‘Palace’). It’s definitely new territory for Peel to be singing “no family is safe when I sashay” on ‘Queen’, which sounds cold as ice – while the fragile cover of ‘Palace’ adds a hint of Kate Bush. The electronic accompaniment elevates this to a superior covers album, especially with the inclusion of three delicate but substantial instrumentals. Her next full album is keenly awaited, but in the meantime this fills the gap just fine.
4 out of 5
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood
{http://soundcloud.com/hannahpeel/sets/rebox-2-preview-album}
