Making an about-face from the cinematic synth textures of her two previous outings, Los Angeles'
Doe Paoro aims for a classic singer/songwriter approach on
Soft Power, her soulful third album. The New York native, whose real name is Sonia Kreitzer, has been somewhat of a musical shape-shifter over the years, initially adopting elements of dubstep, experimental folk, electronica, and even Tibetan opera into her work. Following 2015's highly synthetic
After, which saw her collaborating with
Bon Iver's
Justin Vernon and
S. Carey, the more organic piano pop of
Soft Power comes across as some of the most straightforward work of
Paoro's career. Her primary collaborator this time is Grammy-winning producer
Jimmy Hogarth, whose work with retro-minded acts like
Amy Winehouse and
Duffy frequently serves as a guidepost to these sessions, which were largely captured live to tape. With its tonal nods to
Carole King, classic soul, and even '60s girl group fare,
Soft Power is still a contemporary pop record at its core, with modern sounds and thematic concepts woven into its dynamic pop.
Paoro's smoky voice lends itself well to bluesy dark-hued rockers like "Cage of Habits" and "Guilty," with their bold brass-adorned arrangements, while the breezier "Loose Plans" captures the classic soulful warmth of a relationship ballad. The giant chorus of "Fading into Black" has all the swelling dynamics of a modern pop song, while "The Vine" has a dreamy minimalism with its murky
David Lynch-ian guitar bed. Behind
Paoro is a crack session band adding its collective weight of studio experience to a set that remarkably boasts a different co-writer for each song. With such an extensive team involved, there tends to be a little bit of that committee feeling here and there, but as a whole,
Soft Power stands as
Paoro's strongest album to date. ~ Timothy Monger