Album review by Natalie Homer
Kate Zenna, Jonathan Fessenden and DJ Paul Laski emerged from a little ghetto in West Hollywood in early 2007 to become electro–pop trio POINTE CLAIRE.
With her keening vocals, this is groove-oriented electronica – part MORCHEEBA – part BRITPOP with a healthy dose of dance; it is a varied and lively body of work. A couple of ‘vaudeville’ tracks lose me for a bit in the middle but all is forgiven by track 13 LAY IT ALL DOWN (P-LASK remix) which is catchy and atmospheric. In opening track SWEET TAKEOVER, Kate Zenna lilts like KATE BUSH in sound but not in storytelling or complexity, by design I am sure. Track 5 SHINE FOR ME is like a post modern merengue that would not sound out of place in a Pedro Almodovar film while track 7 BOYS ARE OUTSIDE is a weird Charleston inspired ramble the album could do without.
Reaching back to grab the grooves of ’70s disco/funk and the gadgets of electronic composition, I ASKED YOU FIRST pays homage to the post disco environment of Chicago/New York and Detroit. Danceable grooves with at times a loose song structure it feels like a relentless desire to find a new sound. It’s daring and delightful.
