Janis Joplin - Pearl

It took a couple of listens to get past the raggedness of Joplin's voice, and her tendency of singing around a tune rather than in it, but once those initial qualms had disappeared, this album really hit me between the eyes. The best thing about Pearl is, I think, that it rocks really hard. It doesn't sound that heavy, but everything shudders and crashes and bangs, and it all works. Some critic somewhere once wrote (in relation to Nick Cave and, in particular, "Red Right Hand", if memory serves me correctly) that rock is all about dynamic, and that probably goes a long way to explaining why Pearl sounds so great. Added to that, Joplin's high wire singing is so soulful and bluesy - it's as if every raw-edged syllable catches against something and strikes sparks - and her choices of songs really showcase that singing. This may be one of those that I'll lose interest in once the initial excitement wears off, but I'm pretty into it right now.