Elettra

With her fifth album, L'Eccezione (2002), Carmen Consoli began changing her style in ways that alarmed some fans, as she drifted away from the guitar rock and feminine rage of her earlier albums. The change in style that began with L'Eccezione was then made complete with her sixth album, Eva Contro Eva (2006), an earthy folk-inflected album with traditional acoustic instrumentation and outward-looking lyrics that alienated some rock-oriented fans yet was warmly received by most. Elettra is another full-length effort in the style of Eva Contro Eva, and it should delight anyone enamored with that album's turn toward acoustic instrumentation. There are some subtle differences between the two albums worthy of note. In particular, Elettra is a bit more subdued overall, with slower tempos, more gently strummed guitars, and more hushed vocals. While there are a few uptempo songs sequenced intermittently that liven up the proceedings, namely "Mio Zio," "A Finestra," and "Elettra," most of the album is similar in style to the mellow lead single, "Non Molto Lontano da Qui." As always, Consoli shines as a singer/songwriter, demonstrating remarkable control of her voice, expressing a wide range of emotions, and delivering a set of thoughtful lyrics with sincerity and deep passion. The difference from earlier albums is that she's in the midst of a new phase in her career, one that began with L'Eccezione and was made complete on Eva Contro Eva. The contrast between this phase of her career and that of a decade prior was made explicit recently when Universal Music released a ten-year anniversary double-disc deluxe edition of Consoli's third album, Mediamente Isterica (1998), an important stepping stone in her rise to mainstream breakthrough success with Stato di Necessità (2000). The Consoli of Mediamente Isterica — a punky guitar rocker who at the time was compared to PJ Harvey by some critics — is a world apart from the one heard here, and while some fans might long for a return to form, this new phase in her career is brilliant in its own right. Like PJ Harvey, Consoli has proven over the years that she's unafraid of changing direction at will and following her muse, and the subdued acoustic style of Elettra — not only full of lyrical riches but also peaceful, melodic, and mature from a musical standpoint — is a welcome development that feels like a natural progression from Eva Contro Eva.