Anaïs Mitchell专辑介绍：As someone who fell in love with Anaïs Mitchell via her acoustic work (specifically Child Ballads and Hymns for the Exiled), I was incredibly excited when xoa was announced earlier this year. Having given it multiple listens, I'm delighted to say that it ranks with The Brightness and Hymns for the Exiled as my favorite of her albums. Something that strikes you, upon first listening to the record, is how different its content is from its cover. The relative brightness of the photo, plus the cheery title (xoa=kisses, hugs, Anaïs), belie the subdued nature of most of the songs that lie within. Granted, as most of the album is made up of re-recorded tracks taken from previous albums, I knew a lot of what I would be receiving, but even amongst those re-recordings there are surprises. The best example of this is"Your Fonder Heart". On the original cut of the song from The Brightness, Mitchell's voice is childlike, softly teasing, beautifully happy-sounding; the song conjures the perfect image of young lovers by night. This new recording is startlingly subdued by comparison--Mitchell's voice sounds more mature, less naive, the guitar arrangement and vocal melody are subtly changed to bring out a darker tone, and the opening verse/first chorus are quietly, profoundly sad. Playing the two cuts back to back is almost like seeing a relationship in two different stages, its youthful beginning and its gloomy aftermath. It's an astounding bit of juxtaposition. Other reinterpretations of older solo songs across the album are less striking in their difference, but are still better for the new recordings; Mitchell's maturity suits them. The three songs that appear for the first time here are excellent, especially the hauntingly beautiful"Now You Know", which is simultaneously the saddest and most upbeat song of the lot. Mitchell's first"official" solo recordings of select tracks from Hadestown are also a very welcome addition to her studio work; her version of"Our Lady of the Underground" in particular has always been better than Ani DiFranco's (still marvelous) rendition, possessing much more of a bounce and seductive feel in its stripped-down format than the full-band production on the Hadestown record proper. On the whole, my only quibble with the album is entirely subjective--there are a few amazing older songs ("The Calling","Before the Eyes of Storytelling Girls","Orion", etc.) that I wish could have made the album along with their brethren. However, limits have to be imposed and pacing maintained, so I completely understand their not being recorded (hopefully Mitchell can be persuaded to play a few whilst on her current solo tour). While it obviously isn't quite an official followup to Young Man in America--three new songs do not a new album make--xoa is strong enough that it feels as though it could be. Indeed, as stated above, it stands shoulder to shoulder with her absolute best work. If you're a first-time listener to Anaïs, this, representing as it does a wide sweep of her work over the past twelve years, is a great place to start, and if you're a longtime fan you're sure to savor it. I for one am so grateful to her for recording it, and insanely excited to see her up in Milton Keynes come November. Rock on, Anaïs--you truly are the queen of modern folk music.