Bitch Epic

Bitch Epic

Outwardly, former Do-Ré-Mi frontperson Deborah Conway’s second solo album suggests very specific intent. Its simmering title—Bitch Epic—was reportedly picked at random from words in a hat. The cover art—Conway slathered in Nutella, aggressively considering a slice of cake—was made for an unrelated TV miniseries to illustrate the sin of gluttony. What could it all mean? If anything, over Bitch Epic’s 47:27 runtime, it comes to mean this: Conway is going to do whatever she feels like, because she can. Unlike her 1991 debut String of Pearls’ distinctly Australian pop, Bitch Epic is a theatrical folk-rock album with no clear point of origin. “I’m Not Satisfied” hints at the languid trip-hop that would later see Conway’s work compared to Portishead on 1997’s My Third Husband. “She Prefers Fire” and “Today I Am a Daisy” evoke the downtempo storytelling of Eddie Vedder at his most maudlin. “World of Love” is a waltz with steel drums and gospel harmonies by Christine Anu. It’s a turn towards the sonically unique that continues unabated right up until “Madame Butterfly Is In Trouble” pulses with Conway’s Do-Ré-Mi pedigree, her flair for the dramatic and a wonderful appearance by Tongan-Australian vocal duo, Vika and Linda.

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