Joan as Police Woman - To Survive

Real Life brought Joan Wasser out of the shadows and established her as
that rare thing, a truly unique and original voice. Songwriter, singer and
multi-instrumentalist, Joan has bewitched fans across Europe and the
US over the last two years and is set to garner a wealth of new devotees
with To Survive.
An album of unashamedly heartfelt songs, in Joans words, I am always
trying to dig deeper into the emotional experience. I want to access
the most honest place I can, distill it and present it in a way that makes
sense musically.
The title track catches the overall tone of the record best. A haunting
piano ballad with a melody that refuses to settle, To Survive was inspired
by a lullaby her mother used to sing to her as a child to allay her recurrent
fear that was about to be burned at the stake, like the other Joan. I
still feel like that as an adult sometimes, Wasser says cryptically. And I
dont edit out or water down those feelings. Why should I? Everything I
do comes from my heart. Product Description

a rare gem

Maybe I'm getting old, but there hasn't been much in rock or pop music since about 1994 that I have found worthy of any notice. This is one of the few things that is. Great stuff. September 3, 2008

Exceptional Indeed

Joan's last album Real Life showcased elements of "punk," soul, and classical flourishes. No small feat considering it was her debut. Now her sophomore album has arrived. Though it is a more uniform and organic affair, it never strays from being nakedly honest and deeply touching. To Survive leans more in the direction of New York jazz-folk-pop, yet still features startlingly intimate piano ballads such as "To Be Lonely." Through the introspective sophistication there's a sense of rugged yearning. The album's full band highlights revolve around unconventional chord changes ("Holiday," "Magpies") and adhere little to well-trodden song structure. The vocal melodies are subtle and appropriate for each song, making this beautifully delivered album one of the best of the year and worth heavy repeated listening (for fans of mellow, artful music). August 29, 2008

Just outstanding

Joan Wasser (aka 'Joan As Policewoman') has produced a simply outstandingly crafted first solo album. Her songs are poetic, personal, quirky and full of clever retro references. There is no mainstream category for this highly original alternative rock/soul work and, refreshingly, no ego in the presentation. The pre-Raphaelite looking portrait cover offers no name, no title. Find a minimal, almost dismissive, 'all songs written by Joan Wasser' hiding on the back. Repeat listening is needed to get below the production surface of the songs. Wasser's multi-instrumental, vocal and songwriting talents are really impressive. The longing, spacey `Start of My Heart' is my favorite on an album brimming with reflective but never maudlin tracks. August 18, 2008

yahoo!!!!

Joan and I were classmates in college, and I am so thrilled that she is making such wonderful music! This new CD is beautiful in every way.....sonically, vocally, musically, and in sentiment as well. She has become a very intimate musician.....when I listen to the CD, it is almost as if I am sitting in the room, a fly on the wall, peeking in on her life and work.

I urge anyone who does not yet know of Joan as Policewoman to pick up this cd. She is an artist who will intrigue and never disappoint! July 26, 2008

DEAR NICKEE,

I've told myself over and over to leave you alone, but I worry about you, I am always thinking about you, usually in the way in which we can never be together, the fact that I spoiled everything, like PCB contamination, perhaps never to go away, to leech into everything. I am diseased, I am antisocial by nature, perhaps even self-destructive as a matter of curiosity. I wonder if I'm just a hair away from being clinical, but that's probably just the moral underpinnings of what is really a more rebellious, unsatisfied, cynical exterior.

And I know you worry about me. But I also know that you might not want to have anything to do with me. I don't know what to do. I've drunk almost a bottle of wine tonight, which it seems has "driven" me like a whipmaster to send you a message. I miss you, I miss touching you, I miss your awkwardness, those quick moments where you let me spy the real you. I don't want to hurt you; I'm here manning the floodgates, still comfortable at the controls. I don't know what to do. I just know this feels right, to try to communicate with you. It would even be OK to just e-mail back and forth and perhaps we could grow comfortable with each other, the way we did so long ago. I just don't know what to do; you were/are? my only companion in this life. I'm not really looking for another. July 6, 2008

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