Hips And Makers

Kristin Hersh dug into her backlog of compositions for material of an intensely personal nature that she felt wouldn't be suitable for her band on her solo debut, Hips and Makers. In stark contrast to her work with Throwing Muses, Hips and Makers is almost entirely acoustic. Hersh embellishes her waifish voice and acoustic guitar with touches of cello and piano on this album, which offers a despairing and introspective tone that fails to submerge her considerable inner strength and fortitude. Recorded in a mere two weeks, this collection of haunting and confessional songs was produced by ex-Patti Smith Group guitarist Lenny Kaye, who has also produced Suzanne Vega. Hersh's voice and lyrical tone, however, are considerably more brittle and coarser than Vega's. The opening track, "Your Ghost," features a duet with R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe. ~ Richie Unterberger