I do love artists who refuse to be pigeonholed and I think you can firmly add Virginia’s Lael Neale to that category with this, her fourth long player, which comes some ten years after her debut, I’ll Be Your Man. Clearly, this is an artist who takes great pride in her work, and this only enhances her appeal.
To say she can’t be pigeonholed doesn’t mean you can’t hear aspects of other artists in various places. You can, but often the unusual choice of backing means that it doesn’t actually sound like whomever you’re comparing it to at all. Confused? You should be, but let me quantify that statement with a case in point. ‘Down On The Freeway‘ for example has a breezy musical accompaniment not too far removed from Arcade Fire‘s Springsteen-leaning ‘(Antichrist Television Blues)’, whilst Neale’s vocal patterns bring Hurray For The Riff Raff‘s Alynda Segarro to mind, especially on ‘All Good Things Will Come To Pass’, yet her irreverence towards traditional structural methods means she sounds like all of these other acts while simultaneously sounding like none of them. HOW DOES THAT EVEN MAKE SENSE?
The good news, of course, is that all of this makes Lael Neale one of the more fascinating performers of the last ten years. Opening track ‘Wild Waters‘ makes me think a little of Kate Bush, but not in the most obvious way. Oh no, somehow, Ms Neale has instead reminded me of that twitchy hip-wiggle that Kate does in the video to her version of ‘Rocket Man’. And ‘Come On‘, despite not really having a chorus, is a ridiculously catchy number, punctuated by an adorable “la la la” segment that somewhat bizarrely brought memories of Frankie Avalon‘s Teen Angel from Grease to the forefront of my mind.
‘Tell Me How To Be Here‘ has a tender yearning to it, but even that it somehow skewed by a Blur-like arpeggio interlude, and it’s far from the first time that you find yourself sitting there, thinking “Wait…what??!!!“
This is all to the good, of course, as it makes Altogether Stranger one of the most interesting releases that 2025 has brought thus far, and while I would admit that the most appealing tracks are the ones at the front end of the album, it’s never less than an enjoyable listen, and the child-like melancholy of curtain closer ‘There From Here’ – just Neale’s vocal and a piano – is an arresting experience if ever I’ve heard one.
Simply a beautiful album, if slightly off the wall, but in all honesty, that just makes me like it more.
