“Maybe this is what Chopin would have sounded like had he been a modern-day
multi-instrumentalist with a passion for Al Green and a voice like Roberta Flack” - The London Observer
“… cementing her status as an intriguing and compelling artist” BBC - UK
“Carole King in a little black dress, Burt Bacharach with balls
and Lou Reed without the mean streak, all rolled into one.”
The Word
“The songs are bleak but beautiful; the sound of someone
who knows heartbreak and loneliness better than most” -
NME
“Her voice ranges from gritty-soulful to straightforwardly sexy” -
Vanity Fair
“Wasser deserves to be treasured as one of the
most eloquent and moving songwriters of our time.” -
Hot Press
With a moniker inspired by Angie Dickinson’s tough-talking sex bomb character in the 1970s TV show, Police Woman, Wasser channels a similar presence mixing a bold and enduring stoicism with charm and grace – particularly in how she jovially ignores the unwritten rules of popular music. Wasser herself has described her music as "American Soul Music", which for her combines a love of two vital genres: traditional soul music and punk.
Following the release of her sophomore album, To Survive, Joan Wasser aka Joan As Police Woman is returning to Australia in October 2008.
Until the 2006 release of her debut solo album, Real Life, she was best known as a member of the indie rock bands,The Dambuilders, Black Beetle and Those Bastard Souls. As a violinist and vocalist, she has contributed to albums by everyone from The Scissor Sisters, Lou Reed, Nick Cave and toured with Rufus Wainwright and Antony & the Johnsons.
Now an artist in her own right, the Brooklyn based chanteuse holds an astonishing stage presence loaded with guitar, violin and keyboard infused torch songs reminiscent of the more doleful sides of Feist with a trace of Cat Power. The owner of a husky powerful voice she delves deep into her catalogue of life experience delivering a melodic and soulful introspection filled with deeply personal imagery - both stark and unusual.
In Joan’s own words “I am always trying to dig deeper into the emotional experience. I want to access the most honest place I can, distill it and present it in a way that makes sense musically.”