Finally making it to the UK is "I Believe You Liar", a reissue of the 2010 album by Australian Megan Washington. I assume they must have sent by surface mail as there can be no other excuse for its late appearance over here. Or maybe there is given the general standard of female popsters in this green and pleasant land these days for "I Believe You Liar". You can't see any self respecting record company letting their latest thing getting exterminated by actual, quantifiable talent.
Washington – might as well use her trade name – shows her pop sensibilities throughout with an ability to distil influences into something distinctly potent. You could imagine, for example, Anna Calvi taking a shot at "Cement" but not actually achieving anything like Washington's level of acidity. Clever and literate lyrics abound too with no finer example than the bleak "Underground".
That way with words – for want of a better phrase – is indicative of Washington's placement in the firmament of stellar songwriters and I'd put her alongside the likes of Sweden's Sofia Talvik. Certainly, there is no evidence of filler on this album with song after song moving themselves on to my favourites list. Admittedly the hackneyed production smudges the true impact of many of the songs but that is a small price to pay for the pleasure of making the acquaintance of such a talented purveyor of intelligent pop songs.