Poe's 'Haunted' is lyrical, dimensional

Poe
Haunted
(Atlantic Records)

By David John Farinella
Special to CNN Interactive

(CNN) -- Even as her first single, "Angry Johnny," registered on music's seismograph in 1996, Poe seemed destined for something bigger, something other than the prototypical musical pigeonhole. "Haunted," her four-year-in-the-making follow-up release, pushes her further outside of pop music convention.

Not satisfied to merely pen a handful of "radio friendly" ditties, Poe turns aural auteur and spins a tale that falls somewhere between a Madonna-esque opera and an Edgar Allen Poe (from whom she borrowed her stage-name) novella. The album was inspired by, and serves as a companion to the novel "House of Leaves," written by her brother Mark Z. Danielewski.

AUDIO "5 1/2 Minute Hallway" 544KWAV sound "Terrible Thought" 576KWAV sound "Control" 768KWAV sound   MORE REVIEWS Read our latest reviews: Wallflowers, Madonna, Martha Stewart...

That's not to say that songs like "Terrible Thought" (which would have worked well on the "Eyes Wide Shut" soundtrack), "Beat of My Own Drum" and "5 1/2 Minute Hallway," won't be found on the radio in the next year. In fact, on the later Poe displays her vocal chops, moving up and down scales with ease and precision, while adding a healthy dose of Beatle-esque melody.

"Haunted" includes 17 songs and runs 69 minutes, which at first seems like a daunting amount of music to wade through. Yet, Poe pulls it off with her musical variation and lyrical prowess. She tosses in lyrics that are smarter than typical pop music without sounding bookish or squeamishly poetic. Take a verse from "Control" for instance: "I gave you the benefit/of the doubt it's true/but keep in mind my darling/not every saint is a fool." And in "Terrible Thought" she sings: "I must stay calm you know and I must be clear/it's gonna take a hundred thoughts to make this one disappear/a train like that could travel a soul for years/a terrible thought could have a terribly long career."

While this is not an album for those afflicted with musical attention-deficit-disorder, this is an album for someone with a genuine interest in character and artist development. Thirty years ago albums like "Haunted" were called concept albums and they foretold eerie sci-fi futures; this album details the soulful innards of a woman coming to terms with ghosts of her past and future without being gender specific. Haunted, both musically and lyrically, will reveal itself over time. Perhaps this is music's fourth dimension.

Atlantic Records
Poe

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