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Antony and the Johnsons
I Am a Bird Now
(Secretly Canadian)
First Appeared in The Music Box, November 2005, Volume 12, #11
Written by T.J. Simon
Antony Hegarty is a British-born, New York City-dweller whose Mercury
Prize-winning cabaret music has transformed him into an iconic figure within the
gay community. His singing voice is a falsetto vibrato that, in his best
moments, evokes a soulful femininity and, at his worst, recalls Tiny Tim
tiptoeing through the tulips. On his second full-length effort I Am a Bird
Now, the drag queen maestro delivers 10 mournful piano ballads in a little
over 35 minutes with several bright points along the way.
Hegarty tours and records under the moniker Antony and the Johnsons, but his
backing band provides such a muted collection of strings, horns, and gentle
drumming that it is often imperceptible in the mix. This places Hegarty’s voice
and piano in the spotlight, except for when he calls upon some high profile
friends for vocal assistance. Rufus Wainwright carries lead vocals on one of the
disc’s stronger numbers What Can I Do?, and You Are My Sister is
an enjoyable, if unsurprising, duet with Boy George. Indie rock oddball Devendra
Banhart contributes vocals to the unremarkable Spiralling, while
Fistful of Love, the album’s strongest track, opens with a spoken word piece
from Lou Reed before it kicks into gear with an explosion of old-school soul
horns that, combined with Hegarty’s voice, sends the song into the stratosphere.
The music of Antony and the Johnsons is clearly not for everyone. Listeners
who are the least bit unnerved by flamboyant gayness probably won’t find much to
enjoy on I Am a Bird Now, and even those who are cool with the scene will
likely find that a little of Hegarty’s high-flying vocals goes a long way.
However, if approached with an open mind, the music of Antony and the Johnsons
can be quite pleasing to the ears, and I Am a Bird Now is generally
worthy of the considerable praise that it has received.  ½
I Am a Bird Now is available from Amazon.com.
To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
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For UK orders, please
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2005
The Music Box
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