Ever wondered what Adele should have sounded like? What Joss Stone could have achieved had she not pretended to be American? Then look no further than someone who has spent previous albums coming to terms with the death of her boyfriend (Jeff Buckley) and subsequently her mother. OK, so it doesn’t sound like the cheeriest place to look but sometimes people surprise you.

So, who are (the grammatically incorrect) Joan As Police Woman? Well chiefly they are Joan Wasser. An accomplished violinist, guitarist and piano…person…you may have come across Joan working in, or playing with, The Dambuilders, Those Bastard Souls, Black Beetle, Antony and the Johnsons, Rufus Wainwright, or The Guillemots. You may have even come across her first three albums as Joan As Police Woman: Real Life; To Survive; or the most recent Cover, an album of cover versions. Whilst Cover was the first sign that Joan was emerging from her funk, here she puts the funky back into funky soul mother replacing themes of death with those of love.

Whilst this new ethos is resplendent throughout, ‘Run For Love’ provides us with a perfect example of the new Joan. Mixing together soulful bass and drums with scratchy guitar and other worldly sounds, Joan announces that “I run for love / and I am quick like a wind” before later asking “why don’t we make love / make love / over and over / that is what I have in mind”. Beyond the themes of love, and its carnal manifestation, The Deep Field is permeated with the influences of 70s soul such as the Family Stone or even Marvin Gaye. 

If you what to know specifics: ‘Kiss The Specifics’ is all plush instrumentation, relaxed grooves, and rumination on dreams, wishes and oceans (“is she high? / is she crazy? / is she in love? / yes I’m in love”); ‘Nervous’ is all jumpy and funky; whilst ‘Flash’ hits you with hypnotic waves as Joan’s voice draws you in. OK, sometimes this drifts dangerously close to dodgy waters, most notably with ‘The Magic’ which has the bassline of a Justin Timberlake song, or ‘Chemmie’ which verges on Flight of the Conchords territory with its cries of “We’ve got Chemmie” followed by a seductively whispered “Chemmie” and “uhhh”.

There is no doubt that Joan will have surprised a few people with this, and will continue to do so if she carries on embracing her indie twist on 70s soul. What sets this apart from the half-arsed dross that clogs up the arteries of commercial radio is the genuine heart invested by Joan, drawing you in beyond the plush arrangements and slick production that you’d expect. Good stuff. - Matt Coxon

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