Album review: Irit - Hello

There is much in her life that she can express feelings with ease about in her light-sounding pop that hides a darkly humorous and oft-times cynical look on life.

Her title, Hello, could not be more apt. It plainly declares this is an introduction, yet doesn’t quite prepare you for the tales and experiences to come – much like a carefully constructed film trailer.

Irit herself is a story. A former sniper for the military, she has also found herself performing in one of Israel’s biggest theatre companies, making documentaries, doing comedy, hosting a TV talk show and playing in a successful electronic covers band.

She has stories to tell, and tell them she does. She writes the lyrics and sings them, and she has teamed up with producer Jonathan Quarmby (Benjamin Clementine) who ably does the rest.

The result is as mentioned. Pay little heed to the words and it sounds like a breezy pop album. But listen carefully, and the mischievous Irit has some dirt to dish on her exes, a score to settle with a sexist theatre industry and her unique take on religion.

One of the main issues here is that some of these stories could do with a little condensing. Opener Just Because is an easy listen at first with its jangling acoustics and echoed vocals, but it drags on more than is necessary and isn’t the only track to do so.

The lift music vibe of Heavenly with those strained Hawaiin steel guitars crying out in the background also overstays its welcome, and Seen It All is a little too meandering for its own good.

But there are some solid tracks here to alleviate this. Irit has taken one of R.E.M.’s fluffiest numbers anyway – Shiny Happy People – and somehow lightened it further. There is also something sinister about the main melody when it is stripped down like this.

The passive aggressive nature of Shoes is also a delight with the Latino percussion, Irit’s tongue at its most acidic while chastising a lover.

But there is not quite enough here to keep you returning again and again to hear her stories. Still, if she wants to carry this Eastern-infused style forward, her autobiographical lyrical approach is definitely the way forward. Her tales could just be clipped a bit.

Rating: 6/10

Irit plays at Birmingham’s Glee Club tonight, Monday, February 19.