Anna Coogan's career has been shaped by her classical opera training and her father’s protest albums by Phil Ochs and Bob Dylan. Her new album, The Lonely Cry of Space & Time, is a virtual two-person effort which features Willie B (Brian Wilson) on drums and Moog bass, and combines Coogan’s three-octave soprano vocals, electric guitar soundscapes and pointed social commentary which combines the personal and the political, in a musical hybrid of rock, country, pop and classical opera...

The Lonely Cry of Space & Time is a bit of a strange album. It allows Anna Coogan to cast her net far and wide and experiment with a number of styles, dipping her toe into several genres. From track to track Coogan constantly shifts and changes both her vocals as well as her style. When you examine it closely, it's a bit of a strange mix: the elitist styles of opera being used to deliver protest-esque songs to the underdog, but there's something intriguing about it.

Over the course of this album's 11 tracks (46 min, 41 sec) sadly, some of the experimenting doesn't work. Coogan's vocals are just not strong enough to carry off the warbling antics on 'Last Exit' and the track annoys more than it delights. But then 'Sylvia' blasts forth wonderfully and Coogan sounds lush and energetic.

As diversity goes, they don't come more interesting than this. While it's doubtful that you'll enjoy every track, there's bound to be a handful of songs you'll fall in love with.

7

Nick Smithson