Steve Kilbey - Eleven Women - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Recorded over just three days, with little more than two takes making up each tune, the album is an exercise in the immediate, capturing both Kilbey and his accompanying musicians performing tracks while they're still fresh. The result is one of the most pure records you'll find anywhere. From the opening notes of Poppy ByronInch, it's apparent that Kilbey has delivered something transcendental; something that only someone with a musical dexterity and vision like he can provide. Serving as a musical kaleidoscope of sorts, the album switches genres frequently, shifting between the mandolin-driven sweetness of InchJosephineInch, the '60s-inspired psychedelia of InchWoman Number NineInch, and the hazy, dream-like nature of InchLillian in Cerulean BlueInch.Meanwhile, the lyrics stay true to the concept of the title, with each track focusing on a feminine subject, whether it be via lyrics about Mary Shelley watching SBS in Mandarin on InchPoppy ByronInch, the story of evil witch InchDoris McAllisterInch, or InchBirdeenInch, which, a press notes, focuses on a greedy lorikeet with a sweet tooth. As Kilbey himself notes, Eleven Women is far from perfect record by any means, but in much the same way that even iconic renaissance painting have notable flaws, therein lies the beauty of this.Inch Tyler Jenke, Rolling Stone Australia