JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN-“Real Life”

Joan as Police Woman is the brainchild of violinist/singer/songwriter Joan Wasser. We seem to
be seeing quite a few violinist/singer/songwriter/women these days. Charlie Daniels should return!

While we wait for that to happen, let’s talk about Joan. Her pedigree shows in her music–she was a member of Dambuilders, and has worked with Jeff Buckley, Tonya Donnelly, and many others.

Her 2006 release, “Real Life,” kicks off with the title track, featuring breathy nightclub vocals and simple instrumentation—One piano. And that’s enough, because her voice alone fills the room. One of the best cuts on the album, “The Ride,” is deceptively simple yet a deeper listen is rewarding. And stuck in the right side of the CD is a B-Sides disc that I almost missed, featuring a David Bowie cover and a few tunes that even better than what she included on the album. Especially the almost-acappella, “”Show Me The Life,” and her ode to Condoleezza [sp] Rice, “Happiness is a Violator (For Condoleezza Rice.” The B-sides tracks contains the only rockers on the two-disc set, and they provide a welcome change of pace from steady, consistently beautiful but slow-to-midtempo “Real Life” tracks.

Happiness is a Violator (For Condoleezza Rice)-Joan as Police Woman

The Ride-Joan as Police Woman

Sweet Thing-Joan as Police Woman (David Bowie cover)