Musician, writer, art lover. Gyan certainly knows how to take full advantage of her creative juices. Her beautifully crafted songs are like an aural portrait that assembles in your mind and increases the enjoyment of her music. Her voice is a tapestry of colour over the canvas of adult contemporary folk. It’s all too easy to compare her to Tori Amos or Amanda Palmer. A strong female vocal, poetic lyrics with substance and meaning and music that evokes emotion.
“Superfragilistically” is a wholesome organic musical experience. Writing and recording the album from her home studio tucked into a secluded part of the north coast of NSW with her long time collaborators James Cruickshank (from The Cruel Sea) and Tim Gaze (of Morning Of The Earth), the album unintentionally captures the relaxed vibe and takes weight out of Gyan’s brooding tales. By no means is this a sombre record. There is light and shade throughout the songs but the tone feels more reflective.
Musically, stark pianos and string arrangements accompany Gyan’s poetic lyrics and smooth voice. Outstanding tracks are ‘Girl With The Long Fuse’, ‘WWW’ and ‘Every Finger’. Her tales range from the standard love and relationships to the obscure ‘I’ve Lost The Sea’, which is about a homesick mermaid. The seriousness is still counteracted with the kitsch, which aids to the likability of this record.
Coming off working with famed cartoonist Michael Leunig and writing her first book, this record comes across refreshed and mature and shows greater depth in song-writing. Listening to this, it’s hard to believe this is the same person who wrote songs for LeAnne Rimes and Ricky Martin. This is a beautifully crafted album from one of this country’s most underrated songwriters.
