PJ Harvey - Uh Huh Her

So far, this has been quite a year for the indie music elite. Legends have reunited to play music once again, darlings like Modest Mouse have finally achieved some name recognition and sales, and living legends like Sonic Youth have proven their staying power with great new albums. Now it is P.J. Harvey’s turn to shine bright. Standing as one of the foremost ladies of indie rock, Harvey has built a solid and steady career with her solemn and crooning melancholy style. Uh Huh Her, the seventh album in her many years, proves that her stature in rock is well earned. Ever changing and evolving, but staying central to her style, Harvey has adapted, grown, and flourished like a snake shedding her skin. The album starts off nicely with “The Life And Death Of Mr. Badmouth,” but takes a jump forward with two very strong tracks in “Shame” and “Who The Fuck.” The albums first single, “The Letter,” doesn’t jump off the page as the strongest or catchiest track but sits nicely in the upper half of the quality meter. Finishing off the strong start, “The Slow Drug” is a moody and beautiful track playing to Harvey’s strengths and showcasing why she continues to be a force to be reckoned with. The album hits a monotonous stretch on the back with a few tracks that are strong but not dissimilar enough to raise any attention. However, the stronger back tracks, namely “It’s You” and “The End,” more than support any low moments. “The Desperate Kingdom Of Love” and “The Darker Days Of Me & Him,” both fittingly despondent titles, leave you with the type of slow love/hate song you have come to expect from Harvey, and deliver just what you want from a few nice album enders. Harvey has stayed in the public eye with collaborations with The Desert Sessions and others, but Uh Huh Her soundly exudes that her solo form may always present her best work. Fans will not be disappointed, and some new fans may even jump on board, as this effort is polished enough to draw you in but gritty enough to have depth. Some artists change, and you fear what that may mean from album to album. But Harvey manages to walk a rarely successful line, changing and evolving while somehow staying the same, and that is what we love about her. [www.pjharvey.net]