Hannah Georgas - Hannah Georgas

Hannah Georgas' self-titled album, Hannah Georgas, was included on the long-list for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize, which is a fitting acknowledgement for an artist whose star is clearly on the rise. While at first listen you will hear the vocal influences of Feist, you quickly realize that Hannah Georgas has truly cultivated her own voice and style. The album is a nice blend of acoustic and dancey electronic/synthesized musical worlds that allow a space for Hannah Georgas' vocals to shine through, allowing her to regale us with stories of longing, frenemies, and jealousy the kinds of stories that reverberate with the everyday.

Through a haunting pulsing synthesized bass that lies just behind the vocals, Hannah Georgas begins the album by asking, "Is there any love left for me?" An example of the kind of introspective question Georgas asks throughout the album. With "Elephant" her vocals sound as if they're escaping some cave, begging to be freed. The track reaches a crescendo with the addition of distorted guitars and drums, a release that sets us off on our journey through Hannah Georgas. 

In the upbeat "Robotic", Hannah Georgas asks "to be reprogrammed, to be robotic, to press reset", as if this would be an answer to help avoid the feelings she's letting loose not only in the song, but also throughout the album. In our digital and tech-influenced world these notions of being reprogrammed and being reset resonate and make sense. Who hasn't wanted to press reset at least once?

"Shortie" is a fun catchy track. It's a quirky mélange of hip-hop vernacular, synthesizer grooves and a pop sensibility that playfully works the body into a dancing frenzy. "Millions" is an upbeat rock influenced song that kicks into high gear during the chorus where Hannah Georgas declares that she wants to make her millions especially "if s/he can do it what the fuck, how come I can't?" For me, these two songs are album highlights; I'm a sucker for tracks that make me shake.

I have feeling that this album is a good indication of what's to come from Hannah Georgas and that's great news. 

FINAL MARK: A-