So, Hope Sandoval and her mystery are back with us again. It has been 26 years since she first appeared along with former Rain Parade co-leader David Roback in Mazzy Star. Even in their hetday until 1996, they were not exactly overproductive. Three albums of gentle psychodelia that did garner quite a cult following. And then they both practically disappeared. It took Hope five years to come up with a new project, former My Bloody Valentine drummer Colm O'Ciosoig jumping on her bandwagon for "Bavarian Fruit Bread" that many of her fans, myself included, welcomed with open arms. But then it was another eight years wait for "Through The Devil Softly" in 2009, a "quick re-unite with Roback for another Mazzy Star edition with "Seasons of Your Day". So it would actually seem a speeding return within "only" three years for the new Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions album, "A Wonderful Seed". Wether you think it is too long or too short, this edition of Ms. Sandoval was definitely worth the wait.
Today, as for the first time I heard Hope's voice back in 1990, I couldn't be but enchanted with the effect she gives to the music being played. Any music, including a brief guest stint with the pop noise mongers Jesus & Mary Chain back in the day. While her voice still has that distinctive tone, you can hear the evolution in Sandoval's sound: while back in the Mazzy Star days she fit like a glove in Roback's psychedelic vision, her voice's mystery playing the role of a friendly ghost in the next room, throug consequent albums, it has now developed into a warm, fuzzy, mystery next to you. As the album progresses, it gets additional gentle overtones, like in the acoustic title song, or even a Seventies Southern soul sound in "Let Me Get There". This song is one of the album's highlights, catching beatufully the overtones of the Tony Joe White's absolute classic, "Rainy Nights In Georgia, his, or Brook Benton's version, doesn't matter.
In any case, I'll keep this one on top of my late night, rainy days pile, who know when the next one will be coming along. The mystery will remain.
