Tag: Cigarettes And Smokescreens

Anne Gair is a singer-songwriter from Scotland making her full-length recording debut with Cigarettes And Smokescreens after a series of singles. Her album, produced by Andrea Gobbi, features a fine band that takes her from simple acoustic singer-songwriter to a performer whose sophistication belies her relative inexperience. I’ll single out her two bass players, Ian Murray and Alan Thompson, whose unfussy playing provides a solid foundation to the album. They may not attract your attention immediately because there is so much else going on but they are fundamental.

The album opens with ‘Never Be Mine’. I really like to way it begins with Anne’s vocals over a sparse accompaniment but rapidly builds up to a full-throated arrangement. I didn’t take to it at first but it’s grown on me although, being a words man at heart, I’d still prefer to hear more of Anne up front. The same is true of the title track which comes next. Things ease off a bit with ‘Blank Spaces’, one of six singles that have been taken from the album. ‘Steal Away’ puts Anne’s guitar front and centre and ‘Worth Saving’ starts with a bit of Scots chatter and is decorated with some nice electric guitar.

For me, the album really takes off when Anne puts her foot on the gas with ‘Oh Jimmy’ and ‘Kitchen Dancing’. The former is a bluesy boogie driven by William Bowes’ drums, dressed by Kirk Lothian’s Hammond and underpinned again by Murray’s bass. The latter is more light-hearted and does exactly what the title suggests. Their sequencing as tracks 6 and 7 might suggest that they are considered as light relief but they are far from that. Following them, ‘Insults’ is a return to the big songs that open the album with an impassioned vocal performance from Anne. Finally ‘White Horses’ is a laid-back country-tinged number which you can hear below.

Cigarettes And Smokescreens is an accomplished debut album with Anne supported by a fine band. There is a lot of it that I like but I return to my initial problem. The arrangements are rich and often very clever but they do sometimes overpower the vocals. Anne has been compared to Joni Mitchell and I can hear elements of Kate Bush here and there but such a voice needs nurturing. As ‘Oh Jimmy’ proves, Anne can belt out a song with the best of them but in the light and shade of the album the light can get lost.

Dai Jeffries

Artist’s website: https://annegair.com/

Listen to Paul Johnson’s interview with Anne here

‘White Horses’ – live: