Reviewed by Phil Thomson

The editor might not like "sexy" but that's what's going on here. Seduction. Turner's voice - so teasing and quietly provocative - is wrapped around lyrics edgy enough and intimate to leave you with nothing else in your head. The lady is known for sensitive, well-observed empathy with other people's stories, sometimes bordering on simmering anger, sometimes a little whimsical, always personal, yet in 'People Have Names' she seems to have reigned in the more insistent, driven aspects of her world view, even if the writing is still microscopic. The result here - in individual songs - might not top the rave reviews and awards she has garnered over the years, but as an album's-worth, this has to be the finest example of sophisticated understatement you are likely to encounter this side of Norah Jones. Wonderful writing, every song worth mentioning, though it means nothing in black and white - except to say that once you've been introduced to "Luisa" you'll know why the haunting horn is there, and you'll soon feel the quiet desperation of the "Tuesday Night Ladies" in their suburban torpor as the pickings and tinklings and accordion chords waltz their way into your tomorrows - ". . .sometimes it all comes together, sometimes it all falls apart." Great arrangements, perfect sychronicity. I simply cannot find anything I don't like about this experience (except for the annoyingly minute sleeve text) and would encourage you to follow the example of all of Eire and indeed all those beyond the Emerald Isle who well know her music. Juliet Turner was once described as "an artist marbled with tiny streaks of maverick." What? Bring it on.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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