I first saw Electra at the CD launch party at Bannemans in Edinburgh. Dressed in black, looking exceedingly stauesque, accompanied solely by the lead guitarist of Norman Lamont, she started proceedings off with the track "Kitty Kitty" and immediately you knew you were hearing something quite different as this wide-ranging mix of operatic and sultry came from a voice that was positively spellbinding - and you should have seen her shoes too - wow!!
Sadly, the set was dogged with sound problems and had to be cut short, depriving everyone of the full live experience, I'm sure. After that, I got in touch, requested her two EP's and was astounded at the talent all round, and just had to tell the world about a unique artist. So, sit back and read this - then see if you aren't sooooo eager to hear these songs - enjoy!!!

DIAMOND KITTY: Rough Diamonds CD EP
Entirely played, produced and sung by Electra this is an astonishing set of songs, that offer so much in such a short space of time. Across the sea of songs you're hearing things, in the vocals particularly, that make you go "whooahh…..that sounds like…." But before you can pin it down, our hero's already moved on to the next bit. Opens with 'Nancee (Queen Of The Rodeo Circuit)', as cool a slice of alt-country as you'll hear, at once surreal, sultry and sing-a-long and quite superb. The main refrain is quite bouncy as this smooth, multi-tracked and solo, low-sounding female vocal cruises through the melody, the opening menacing electric bass, strident drums and a distant buzz-saw guitar riff, now replaced by a jaunty keyboard, lilting bass only for it to turn into this almost rock-operatic mid-section, where the overlaid vocals cover such a superb range of feeling and emotion, hard to believe that this is all one lady singing, and between its verses and choruses, it becomes one addictive little song, all about the joys of young Nancee and her free reigning spirit, the vocal and bass soaring all over and around the mix to glorious extent, a cute-assed little gem of a track.
'I Would Run' opens a bit like a cross between Cleo Laine & Kate Bush, vocally, both sultry and soaring, the song unfolding over a lurching mix of bass, percussion and string backdrops, while the lyrics once again convey atmosphere and strength, that sultry vocal so in evidence, yet so strong, while the song unfolds, superbly delivered, the subject almost mouth-watering in its imagery, a tale of love lost and found, with some fantastic wordless singing across the range that this lady has in her arsenal, moving effortlessly from low to high end vocal, it's positively jaw-dropping.
Track 3 is 'Johnny Cash', a mid-paced driving track founded on a bed of electro-percussive beats, more strong bass and distant synth backdrops, over which another tale of man-gone-wrong unfolds, this time the multi-tracked vocals a beautiful thing over the flowing lead vocal, here full of passion and eerie menace yet at the same time, quite mesmerising as she cruises through the vocal twists and turns that the track reveals.
Finally, from the archives, comes 'Kitty Kitty', a strident electronic drum beat leading into a guitar riff sounding right out of the AC/DC roster, as this high-register lead vocal gives us the tale of Kitty as you hold to the subject matter in sensual awe, sex pouring out of the vocals and guitars in impassioned doses, the whole thing seriously addictive as you race for the repeat button, not so much to play this track again, as the whole EP, as you suddenly realise the effect has worked, and you are hooked in its spells. Seriously different, seriously well done and seriously fine writing and playing - you can't go wrong with this.

ELECTRA: Crawl CDEP
The darker side of Electra revealed on an EP that will both astound and delight. Opening with a sultry, menacing little number delivered in a soaring, smooth, passionate, sultry vocal over a twisted tango rhythm, with keys, bass, synth and multi-tracked backing vocals acting as backdrops for the gorgeously crooning lead vocal that gets so under your skin, it's untrue, the air of sensual pleasure and yearning desperation coming right out at you in the lyrical flow - superb.
The eight minute 'That Boy (S Beautiful)' istarts with an ethnic percussive rhythm and a bass-line that's right out of the seventies Gong ways of things, as Electra's vocal veers from singing to spoken word, so full of feeling, so sultry, so mouth-wateringly tense, as the story of her watched Adonis comes to life, every girl's dream unfolding before you as you are hooked on the outcome - a bloke witnessing a lady's fantasies and, far from uneasy, it's positively addictive - the only song in existence where being a "voyeur" is practically obligatory. Yet the delivery is so good - she transfixes you with that voice, the arrangement of song and tale-telling worthy of Gilli Smyth at her finest, although Gilli wouldn't DARE!!! - and even Gilli can't make the word f**k sound so sensual. A track that has to be followed by a cold shower!! Just fantastic!!!
After this, 'The Past' is almost the musical equivalent of the post-coital cigarette, opening with a snaking bass and solid but light percussive rhythms, as a deep bass synth backs the soaring vocal that rises and falls, solo and multi-tracked, light and airy, dark and sultry, flying so high then diving for the ground, a slowly unfolding lyric so full of tenderness and strength when delivered by a vocal as fine as this, almost operatic in its qualities, but just so full of feeling, again that air of menace just around its corner. Just sensational stuff.
Finally, 'Save You' is a brooding ballad of yearning and intensity, Electra's vocal mostly quite low register, although the multi-tracked choruses that flow slowly and smoothly are to die for, the song effortlessly rising before you in slow-motion fashion, musically developing on a bed of deep dark bass, eerily distant electronics and soaring strings. The gorgeous multi-vocal section that comes into play around the two minute mark, for over a minute, is truly breathtaking, as the rich and crystal clear voice soars out of the airwaves to perfection, the song slowly drawing to its cosmic conclusion. Truly awesome, superbly delivered and positively timeless, this is something different from anything else around but so addictive.

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