Joan Wasser aka Joan As Police Woman is back with a snap crackle and pop in 2016 with her album “Let It Be You”, a creative collaboration with fellow New Yorker and multi-instrumentalist/singer-songwriter, Benjamin Lazer Davis. Wasser’s career spans numerous acclaimed albums, songs from the vault, and collaborations with artists such as Lou Reed, Rufus Wainwright, and Dave Gahan to name just a few. “Let It Be You”, however, possibly best depicts her incredible ability to seamlessly cross musical genres. It was Wasser and Davis’ mutual bond over Central African Republic Pygmy people’s flute ostinatos, and how they could be utilised as the basis for pop songs that ignited the flame that spurred on the album. And whilst the African musical influences may be subtle at times – it is the experimentation with the multi-faceted sphere of alternative-pop music, mixing soul and electronics, alongside Wasser’s sonically jagged vocal range that truly impresses. The LP was preceded by the single and music video “Break Me In Two”, notably featuring not only Joan and Ben, but also much loved comedian/actor Fred Armisen, best known for his work in Portlandia, Saturday Night Live and Anchorman.
Joan As Police Woman & Benjamin Lazer Davis – “Let It Be You” is out via Reveal Records
