Track Listing

1. Kiteflyers Hill
2. Prayer Wheel
3. Postcard
4. Wings On My Heels
5. On A Whim
6. Hummingbird
7. Barcelona Window
8. Bell Book And Candle
9. California
10. Follow My Tears
11. Psychic Reader
12. Please Don't Ask Me To Dance
13. Clear

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6385 in Music
• Released on: 1998-05-11
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Encompassing everything from understated acoustic ballads to jangly, guitar-driven pop, Eddi Reader's folk-rock hybrid rarely plays it straight. Picking up where she left off with 1997's Candyfloss and Medicine, Reader remains true to her own unique and enjoyable muse. Of course, it doesn't hurt that her always-amazing voice is in top form. "Prayer Wheel", with its exuberant chorus, masks a story of lost love behind a veneer of unadulterated pop. As usual, Reader draws on a number of songwriters to compile a top-notch collection of songs (including one, "On a Whim", written for her by Ron Sexsmith). But the best songs here are the ones written by or with long-time musical partner Boo Hewerdine: "Bell, Book and Candle" is a gorgeous, haunting tale of lost love, while "California" has a truly greasy groove to go with Reader's equally sexy vocals. Besides, it's always endearing to hear a Glasgow gal work her way around the word "California". --Percy Keegan

Customer Reviews

on a chilly November evening ..

This CD should be bought even just to listen to "Kiteflyer's Hill". This is one of the songs I am so grateful I came across.

Put it on your iPod and go to Parliament Hill in Hampstead on a chilly November evening (Primrose Hill is too popular to my liking. You want to be on your own with this song. And if you don't live in London, I am sure you have a nice hill to go to to contemplate alone).

As the sun sets, and the lights in the town begin to glow, you will be quiet as your memories from the past flood you.

It's got to be... five stars
Most people think of Fairground Attraction and ‘that’ song when they hear the name Eddi Reader. In this incarnation she has virtually teamed up with songwriter Boo Hewerdine to produce something somewhat different. Angels and Electricity is a rare mix of folky warmth and modern sophistication. For the most part it’s downplayed, mellow, easy on the ear (the exception is ‘Prayer Wheel’ which I tend to skip past) and a sheer delight. For two reasons: Reader’s perfect voice and charming delivery (she allows her Scottish accent to creep in to just the right degree) are the first thing. The second is the sheer quality of the songs and the way the album is produced. Okay, I guess that’s four things. But it really is a lasting pleasure to listen to the whole of this album, apart from the aforementioned track which is a bit of a racket. But that’s why CD players are programmable. If Mary Black had ever lived up to expectations she would have done an album like this, I often think. As it is, Ms Black never came close and this is on a different level altogether. An easy five stars.

Exquisitely beautiful record
Eddi Reader's voice and songwriting is almost always a thing of beauty, but this is best typified on this album. The songs work well as a whole, yet display a distinct range of styles and tones. My key favourites are those with a wistful regard for the past - such as "Kiteflyers' Hill", "Postcard" and "Please Don't Ask Me To Dance" - but the whole album is strong.