It's quite a bit of a stretch to include this album on the site; its only connection to the supernatural is a track called "Like a Werewolf" that just uses that imagery as a metaphor. However, this album marked such an improvement over Manning's good first album, Volume 1, that I felt compelled to expand the borders of my self-imposed mandate.
Most of the songs are either about waiting in anticipation, dealing with unexpected events, or handling the aftermath of those events. Shades's approachable, emotional lyrics and slippery melodies make it beg to be sung along with, and Manning's singing invites the same. Her voice has strengthened; while it still has the idiosyncratic pointedness is had on Volume 1, it now possesses more resonance and a feeling of maturity.
Longing and introspection get a lot of attention in Shades, from the resignation and strength of "I'm the Girl" to the simple and almost unbearably true declaration of deep affection that is "Normal." In "Heather," the album moves from within to without; "Heather" is like a musical shaking of the head at another person's potential that is going unrecognized and unsued. "Werewolf" is the oddest song on the album, but also one of the best, featuring rawer sounding guitar and piano that give way to a percussive piece in which Manning's vocals purposefully take a back seat to the music. The most appealing song would have to be the hopefully radio-destined "Springtime," a lovely mix of bright piano and strings that perfectly captures the bittersweet feeling of starting a new love while ending an old one.
Shades finishes by revisiting Volume 1's eerie "A Walk on the Moon," which is a curious idea, given that the song was only from an album ago. However, Manning's newfound command over her voice and a new arrangement gives "Walk" more gravity and feeling, improving an already very good, sad, song. It's an oddly electric end to a great album, one of the most atmospheric and involving I've heard in a long time. Dayna, your last album came out five years ago; if it takes you that long to come up with another work of this quality, see you in 2007.
