A truly 'lyric' singer

Placing music into different categories and comparing musicians are extremely useful tools for music fans. People can tell just by looking at an album cover whether or not they would enjoy the CD.

But it is not really possible to categorize Mia Doi Todd and her latest album, The Golden State. As an artist, she is definitely original _ which is both a good thing and a bad thing. All that can be determined on first listen is that her music is somewhere in the general genres of folk, indie, international, pop, and rock. Her voice is extremely breathy and quiet, making her songs sound pure and mesmerizing. A classically trained vocalist who taught herself how to play the guitar, Todd can not even be linked to other singer song-writers.

Todd's lyrics are incredibly complex and confusing, as she uses many abstract images. This is a CD that needs to be listened to numerous times before sense can be made of most of the songs.; and each time the lyrics take on new meaning.

Todd sings of unique, and perhaps eccentric, topics. For instance, in the first song "88 Ways," she sings about gravity and entropy. In this song Todd connects opposites and contradictions in lines such as "O, what should I be in this world so self-destructing?/O, what should I be in this world so self-constructing" and "The hermit and the hero walk in parallel lines, one with bow and arrow, the other bowed eyes."

"Digital," which has somehow become one her most popular songs, is the second track on the CD. The chorus is "Digital, binary system, ones and zeroes/dark vs. light, yin and yang/my mother and my father made me one night." And if this alone isn't bizarre enough, Todd also sings of two different views of the beginning of the earth with references to the Garden of Eden and the forbidden apple as well as protons and electrons that collide.

Things that are consistent throughout the CD include Todd's affinity towards death, discussions of freedom, and her use of homophones and contradictions. For example, in "Merry Me," two of her lines are "Merry me, merry me, merry me" and "Marry me, marry me, marry me." This song is about how the search for liberty is actually better than being free.

Her song "Hijikata" is named after the Japanese inventor of Butoh dance, which Todd has studied. The song follows suit to her common themes and is about Hijikata dying. She asks him "Is all freedom dark?" and "Is all freedom light?" There is also "Autumn" which is actually a really beautiful sounding song, despite the lyrics "No, no, no, I know". It's the most melodic track in this CD though the repetitions of "The leaves let go, so let them go" are a bit tiring.

Todd is not a normal singer. Be ready to listen carefully to her lyrics and maybe even replay a song to figure out what she is singing about. The music and her voice are very simple. They are not the focus in her music and therefore are able to draw attention to her complex lyrics. While it is good to have eloquent and consequential songs, she automatically alienates music fans who do not want to search hard to figure out meanings in her wordy lyrics.

Todd is on the border between being an insightful songwriter and one who tries too hard to make profound observations about life. Her songs sound like recited poetry so she seems as though she belongs more in a coffee shop than she would on the radio. Also, beware when trying to sing along because being so unconventional, Todd breaks her lines is strange, unusual places as she sings.

Overall, this CD needs patience. If you can handle it, listen a couple of times. It might start to grow on you.