Known for her sultry, lounge-style music and soft vocals, Leslie Feist has successfully expanded her palate beyond the Starbucks-friendly Let it Die in her latest album, The Reminder. It still contains many of the slow jam, coffee-guzzling tracks that worked well in the previous album, but with a few welcome surprises.
The first two tracks are mediocre; “So Sorry” plays like a tired Nora Jones track and “I Feel it All,” though upbeat and catchy, is repetitious and commercial-sounding. On the flip side, “My Moon My Man” harnesses Feist’s elusive charm and smooth, breathy vocals weaving in and out of the backbeat. She showcases the depth of her voice, as she charges to the forefront of the track and then slips, slightly congested-sounding, behind layers of jarring piano keys and heavy drums.
“Sea Lion Woman,” perhaps the most surprising track on the album, has the pulse of an African tribal rhythm. Surging backup vocals culminate into energetic guitar solos, which then fade into a showcase of Feist’s vocals accompanied only by handclaps. While “Limit to Your Love” is reminiscent of the easygoing pop tunes on Let it Die, the track adds the smooth jazz quality that Feist does best. “1 2 3 4,” like “Mushaboom,” has a country jam feel, complete with banjo and sing-along lyrics, but has enough instrumental depth to avoid growing tiresome.
The album’s latter half slows down considerably. “Honey Honey,” with high, light vocals and a background harp, plays like slow-moving trance music. In “How My Heart Behaves,” Feist’s voice echoes along to an acoustic guitar and piano tune that crashes like soft waves in the background. Though Feist rests comfortably on this charismatic, seemingly effortless approach, The Reminder proves that she can kick her tempo up a few notches without abandoning her coffeehouse roots.
