Chicago-by-Australia singer songwriter Tania May-Bowers brings together an all-star cast of backing musicians (with the help of her husband/producer Casey Rice) in order to flesh out her new batch of songs, Under a Different Sky. However, her ultra-breathy delivery lacks power to the extent that, no matter how great the depth and tone of the music beneath her voice, it will always have to sound weak in order to leave room for her vocals. Whereas Cat Power's introverted demeanor leads to a catharsis when she sings, Via Tania's coy shyness leads to weak bedroom chatter that doesn't lend itself well to the layered tones it's paired with. Instead, Via Tania's voice simply melts over the music, like a clock over hot rocks in a Dali painting. As a result, the music here mostly drifts, creating soft lullabies. The album's one rocker, "The Rising," (featuring guitar from Chris Brokaw) stands out as the album's only energetic moment, Via Tania's weak coo turning into a strained, Kim Gordon-esque wail. Surprisingly, the only other songs where Tania's vocals have real power and impact are the ones where the music is most simple and least layered, like the country-ish "True." Most songs here are content to drift along in a trip-hop-without-the-hop drone, which may provide relaxing music, but fails to be memorable or intriguing.
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