Anne Husick’s “Insomnia” EP Reviewed

The last time I saw Anne Husick she was storming off stage at the Sidewalk Cafe after playing a couple of fine acoustic songs when the late arrival of a musician forced her into service. Anne was the shows promoter. I asked a friend what was that all about and he said “She can be volatile”. Amen to that, but if that volatility is the cost for the energetic, extremely dramatic six song EP Insomnia, we will just have to live with it.

Insomnia is a form of New York Americana, heavy duty old school urban rock but with the fine instrumental detail and  tastiness, it sounds like it should be rougher round the edges, but it is so finely arranged and performed it is full scale classic rock and roll not punk. Anne should give some of these songs to Ronnie Spector.

On Insomnia, she adds to the already astounding  “The Other Side”, “Paradox” a sludge blues sinker but listen to the hook, the “hoo hoos” which she even adds to the bridge. It illustrates the “you have my sugar now baby” lyric by being sexy and sweet.That terrific guitar is Anne’s by the way. If I am not crazy about the slow one call it a blind spot and go straight sailing through the final four songs. “The Other Side” we know (we don’t? here), the final song “Every Night” sounds like 60s girl singer songwriter meets 1979, with a key change on the verse that swerves you out of your mind and the best sounding “craaayzeee” ever, “She’s Gonna Break His Heart (He’s Got A Heart To Break)” is all underlined aggression and a rare third person song (like “She Loves You” in reverse).

But it is “Edge Of Yesterday” that will stop you dead, It is the reason I gave Anne a New York Americana tag, a gorgeous lap steel played by  Don Fiorino provides an immediate dimension, and while if I was drummer and producer Kevin Tooley I’d have insisted on a sax  as well ( Robert Aaron on “The Other Side” is the solo highlight) , this is still a splendid melodic heartbreaker (literally, think Tom Petty and) and one of the best songs of the year.”Edge Of Yesterday” is the one to play your friends who don’t know of her.

People might have the opinion that all you have to do is be indie for me to love you but the truth is, I don’t review smaller labels if I don’t like their music so it only seems  like that. However, so far I haven’t heard anything I don’t love on World Wide Vibe, and if the volatile Miss Husick wants to storm off stage any time soon I’d be happy to be there to see it.

Grade: A-