Anny Celsi's Page

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Review of Anny Celsi's "Tangle-Free World" (Posted on Facebook 11/10/09)

Every once in awhile, an album comes along that impacts me such to a point that I simply have to write about it. I purchased Anny Celsi's album "Tangle-Free World" through iTunes on the weekend and after the first few bars of the title track, this album grabbed my attention, and I turned the volume, up - way up! By the time I got to the third track I decided that it's time to put on my writer hat and review this gem of a record.

Ever hear a song that literally makes you feel electric? Something so beautiful and moving that you feel kind of numb and awe-struck? Put on the title track of "Tangle Free World" and if you're like me, expect a wonderful auditory experience. Beautiful melody, catchy, exquisite harmonies, and a rhythm track that would make for perfect driving music. This song will head to the front of the list of my favorites to listen to while driving fast along scenic highways.

"Thanksgiving in Hollywood" is another favorite on this album. Starts out with a bit of a melancholy introduction then picks up the pace with plenty of jangly guitars (which I love) and some very cool organ and lead guitar contributing to a wonderful folk-pop sound. The mood is a bit dark and mysterious, yet uplifting at the same time. One of my favorite tracks on the album.

Another favorite is "First Love Freezes", a beautiful melody and Anny's soft and haunting vocal is perfect for this very pretty ballad. Again, complemented by lush harmony vocals and I absolutely love the guitar work in this one.

"The Night She Learned to Drive" is a wonderful tune that has such heartfelt lyrics, and is performed with a vibe of re-assurance and hope. The song has the perfect feel to match the theme of the lyrics. It's another song that features a travelling rhythm that would be great to listen to on a road trip. A beautiful example of classic Americana in its most perfect form.

Also add "Piece of Heaven" to my list of favorite tracks on this album - a fun, upbeat jangly pop tune with a classic Monkee-esque sound from my favorite pop era. This one will not only get your toes-tapping, but you may easily find yourself singing along to this very catchy track.

"Sally Go Round the Roses", a fantastic cover of the Jaynetts 1963 hit, is pure fun. Pop music legend Evie Sands and Teresa Cowles provide backing vocals which add another dimension to the overall girl-group feel of this great song. The sixties vibe is well-preserved in the production, but with a cleaner, fresher sound. The "tangle-free" outtro at the end was quite a pleasant surprise as well!

I previously had somewhat limited interest in Lee Hazelwood and Nancy Sinatra's "Some Velvet Morning", but the version on this album so beautifully performed by Anny Celsi and Nelson Bragg, has garnered repeated listens. Their flawless soulful vocals, combined with a beautifully performed instrumental track have resulted in a new interest in this classic for this listener.

This album has so many dimensions to it that really give the record an overall dynamic of several moods and vibes that intertwine together so well, yet keeping a smooth path or 'tangle-free' experience for the listener. Anny really shines in this album. A must-have for your collection, this album has been added to my favorites and will inevitably get extensive play from this fan.
10 out of 10!

~ Laurie Biagini

Tangled Up In Soul
September 17th, 2009

Anny Celsi is part of the extended family of Los Angeles musicians with extensive links to Brian Wilson. Indeed, her latest album is produced by Nelson Bragg, and Anny and Nelson have been touring Europe together. I reviewed her first album a few years back, and she has now released her second full-length album, Tangle-Free World.
The new album is a winner and should appeal to a wide range of fans – it should be essential listening for Brian Wilson fans as well fans of Nelson Bragg’s smooth Day Into Night. There is a lot of variety on the album, but also a lot of care on each track- some highlights include the classic country pop of First Love Freezes, the soulfully brilliant Now You Can Hurt Me, and the wonderful pop sounds of Own Sweet Time. Nelson Bragg shares vocals on the cover of Lee Hazelwood’s Some Velvet Morning, while the other cover Sally Go Round The Roses features Evie Sands. My personal favorite is the aching closer Paper Umbrella which is really lovely and deserves a lot more exposure.
Nelson Bragg brings in some of the smooth West Coast production touches of his own solo, but there is also a great sense of the Wrecking Crew sound of Brian Wilson’s most famous works. Overall, there is genuine quality here and it comes with my highest recommendation.
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What the critics say about “Little Black Dress & Other Stories:

 "clever…the music is consistently strong to boot." -- Ken Barnes, USA Today

“Affecting, pop-smart tunes” – Chris Morris, Billboard
“Hit material folk pop” – Tom “Tearaway” Schulte, Outsight Communications

“In the classic singer-songwriter mode, Anny’s sunny/dark folky-rock took me to a “Raymond Chandler-esqe” Los Angeles of hard lessons learned and the high cost of love. Dig it! It’s black and white 50’s film-noir in color…” -- Jonny DuFresne, Two Louies
“Little Black Dress & Other Stories is a superb debut album…Anny Celsi is a talent to watch.” -- Michael Toland, www.highbias.com
"...a beatnik-cool performer who veers from poppy, bouncy beats to jazzy piano bar riffs and sexy come-ons…she’s sensitive but no wimp and a fellow traveler to Aimee Mann and Sheryl Crow. The “pop-noir” soundtrack of her solo debut, “Little Black Dress,” wears a veneer of L.A. Confidential style." -- Bob Ruggiero, Houston Press

“Think of Victoria Williams, Aimee Mann, Suzanne Vega and Sheryl Crow mixed together and you begin to get the picture. Anny is pretty much their equal as a songwriter.” -- S.P. Clarke, Two Louies
“A musical journey in the best sense, "Little Black Dress" unfolds like a tightly written script.” – Mark Spangler, The Oregonian
“An ultra-cool, ultra-hip album that is one of the best new releases I've heard in a long time. Check it out.” -- Ed Kociela, Utah Daily News

“It's not often that listening to a record evokes the same buzz of satisfaction that one gets upon finishing a particularly ripping book. Seldom does an album sustain an arc of characters and situations that is consistently surprising, amusing and touching. "Little Black Dress and Other Stories" is all this and more… "Little Black Dress" is a perfect fit.” – John Chandler, Portland Tribune
“When she starts to sing she's got something to say, and she says it in this way designed to separate the boys from the men, if you know what I mean and I think you do.” -- Ben Varkentine, www.ink19.com
"Anny Celsi is a Cali girl with plenty of sass…There isn't a weak track in the set, which is no small achievement." -- Adrian Zupp, HARP
"Anny Celsi possesses such a radiantly reassuring voice that it almost doesn’t matter what she’s singing about.” -- Falling James, LA Weekly
"The music is all in Celsi's writing, which is direct, killing...needing no ornamentation..." -- Greil Marcus, Real Life Rock Top Ten
"...a marvelously cool, hip, subtle singer and songwriter, who can pull off the kind of genre-jumping of which I usually disapprove, equally convincing with a Dusty Springfield/Jackie DeShannon style ballad as a Peggy Lee-ish torch song...." -- John Conquest, 3rd Coast Music