Chi Coltrane - Silk & Steel (2018) Hi-Res

Silk & Steel heralded a dramatic change in Chi Coltrane's style -- there's not a trace of the syrupy sweetness of Road to Tomorrow. In fact, this is the sound of an artist who's fed up and doesn't care who knows it. During the course of eight hard-edged rock songs, she bemoans the demands of touring and travel ("Jet Lag"), being messed about by love interests ("Goin' Round"), and the constraints of relationships ("Anymore"). None of this makes Silk & Steel a disappointment -- it's a fairly solid effort. What does let it down is a noticeable decline in Coltrane's melodic skills, and a coarsening of her vocal cords -- she sounds raspy and hoarse. At the center of the album is"Don't Forget the Queen," a "Bohemian Rhapsody" rip-off, complete with mock-operatic backing vocals, and a grandiloquent guitar solo. It's a relief to say that "Leaving It All Behind" and "Blinded by Love" both recall Coltrane's stronger '70s work, and bring Silk & Steel some semblance of a coherent musical vision.