SASAMI

Squeeze (Domino)

Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Sasami Ashworth’s Squeeze, her second studio album, has been labelled a cross between nu-metal and country-rock, and accordingly, gentle, melodic songs such as The Greatest and Call Me Home are interspersed with frenetic synth creepiness. There are many enjoyable snippets here and there, but overall the album’s array of identities becomes more annoying as it progresses.

The title track, a bit of a non-starter, is followed by an orchestral interlude; Kill A Rat, with its disturbing spoken intro, features Megadeth’s Dirk Verbeuren on drums, and Daniel Johnston’s Sorry Entertainer has been given a heavy metal makeover. Squeeze eventually finds its musical balance with the final track, the heartfelt Not A Love Song, and I can’t help wishing that Sasami, who is a classically trained composer, had stuck to what she does best rather than try to cover so many bases.

words LYNDA NASH