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LET IT DIE
(Interscope)
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With a cool, low voice that’s a bit reminiscent of Sade (a catch, an edge), Leslie Feist is both sensual and real-sounding, regardless of the words she’s singing. The Canadian chanteuse’s second album and major-label debut keeps the spotlight on that voice and on the use she makes of it. The folky original "Mushaboom" has already received the indie-cover seal of approval from Conor Oberst’s Bright Eyes — as if an artist who’s already put in cameos with Broken Social Scene and Kings of Convenience really needed the nod. Unlike Oberst, however, Feist has the voice to suit a variety of genres: torch songs, Francophone pop, BeeGee covers. The synth current and heavy beats that accent her version of the BeeGees’ "Inside and Out" bring to mind disco Donna Summer, but there are also echoes of Chan Marshall in the way her voice breaks on "Gatekeeper." And on the title number, she observes, "The saddest part of a broken heart isn’t the ending so much as the start." There’s the occasional bland moment, but credit Feist for taking risks. Is she setting herself up to be our next hipster siren? (Feist performs this Monday, May 16, upstairs at the Middle East, with members of Broken Social Scene backing her; call 617-864-EAST.)
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