Lady Daisey was born in Brooklyn but calls nowhere home. Her parents were in a band and she travelled the US and world with them, picking up musical influences like others pick up entry and exit visas. She’s been making her own music for as long as she can remember and made waves on the underground US music scene with Heavenly Noise, a band she’d formed with her husband – the enigmatically named Batsauce. The called their music ‘love child underground soul’ and from there the Lady has embarked on a solo odyssey, though Mr. Batsauce is still producing and handling the beats. That preamble should tell you that ‘In My Pocket’ is no conventional soul album, but for those with adventurous ears there’s a lot to like. The opener, ‘4 A.M.’ is a tight, minimalist funk groove and ‘Soul Strut’ rides a nifty rolling groove. It’s a great tune. The catchy guitar riff that ripples throughout is a delight and there’s the same kind of guitar sound on ‘Soul Celebration’. For some strange reason the big chunky feel of the guitar reminds me of Bobby Womack’s playing…. but , I need to say right now that I think that the venerable Mr. W wouldn’t acknowledge Lady Daisey’s take on his beloved soul music. I’ve already said that the album is unconventional – and it is. Lady Daisey’s voice takes a lot of getting used to… she comes on like a hybrid of a young Macy Gary and an even younger Erykah Badu, while the lyrics, messages, breaks, beats and concepts are all as off the wall as anything those two have crafted. But where those two ladies’ albums usually offer structure and tightness, this one has too many cuts that lack focus. Maybe producer Batsauce allowed his feisty other half too much freedom, but when they get it right (like on the aforementioned ‘Soul Strut’) the sound is very appealing. Like I said, ‘In My Pocket’ is for those with adventurous ears and/or a predilection for the quirky and the enigmatic.
(BB) 3/5
