Based on an article and review in a recet Mojo, I decided to pick up CDs by Antony and the Johnsons; his self titled debut and the recently released 'I Am A Bird'.  

After giving both albums quite a few spins this past weekend, I still have a pretty hard time descibing his music.  The best I can come up with is to imagine that the late Nina Simone is being channeled through the body of an gender-confused gay man who is being backed by an arty chamber pop band.  I would imagine fans of Rufus Wainwright or Devendra Banhart (who both supply vocals to the new album) would really enjoy these discs.  

As for me, while I found a few of the song a bit tedious, for most of the tracks, I found myself drawn in by the beauty of the arrangements.   I would imagine Antony's dramatic vocal phrasing (and vibrato) could be a turnoff to some (or many), but after repeated listenings, I became quite used to it.  I would be interested to know what others think of these releases...

Mark E.