Agua de Annique: album reviews and ratings

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	Agua de Annique

Artist Listing:

S - Z

Line-up:
Anneke van Giersbergen - vocals/piano
Joris Dirks - guitars/vocals
Jacques de Haard - bass
Rob Snijders - drums

After deciding to part ways with renowned Dutch rock band The Gathering in mid 2007, charismatic singer Anneke van Giersbergen formed the alternative rock/pop band Aqua de Annique to allow herself to venture out and voice her solo material and personal lyrics.

"Anneke lets her penchant for alt pop shine with this new project, while maintaining the angelic, yet dark vocal melodies that made her a beacon of light in the European metal scene."

-- The Sentimentalist

Agua de Annique Discography - Album / CD Reviews

¼ 2007: Air
"(...) The music here is not much different than what we have come to expect from The Gathering the last half decade or so, although surprisingly there are a few heavier songs on this CD than what we have come to expect from Anneke in quite a while. Witnesses rocks pretty damn hard, filled with plenty of relentless guitar riffs from Joris Dirks and pummeling drums courtesy of Rob Snijders, and the opener Beautiful One matches catchy hooks with shimmering arrangements and driving rhythms, easily one of the most commercially appealing rock songs on the CD. There's plenty of ballady pop material here that lets Anneke show off an almost Jewel-like folky quality, like on Yalin, Day After Yesterday, and the modern indie-rock flavored My Girl. The singers angelic crooning floats over lilting guitar chords on Take Care of Me, and soars alongside rock guitars and Dirks' backing vocals on Ice Water. However, it's not until You Are Nice! that the band really kicks things up again, as this one is a heavy rocker, with thick guitar riffs, stabbing synth blasts, and Anneke's snarling vocals. Unfortunately, that's the last rocker of the bunch, as the second half of the CD is filled with more laid back, melancholy numbers, the most interesting of which is the somewhat jazzy Sunken Soldiers and the Pink Floyd inspired Lost and Found, the latter featuring some great guitar leads from Dirks..."

-- Pete Pardo, seaoftranquility.org, 9/07

2009: PureAir
Tracklisting: 1. The Blower's Daughter (feat. Danny Cavanagh from Anathema) 2. Beautiful One (feat. Niels Geusebroek from Silkstone) 3. Wild Flowers 4. Day after Yesterday (feat. Marike Jager) 5. Come Wander With Me (feat. Kyteman) 6. Valley of the Queens (feat. Arjen Lucassen, Ayreon) 7. To Catch a Thief (feat. John Wetton from King Crimson and Asia) 8. Ironic 9. What's the reason? (feat. Niels Geusebroek) 10. Yalin 11. Somewhere (feat. Sharon den Adel from Within Temptation) 12. Witnesses 13. The Power of Love (Frankie Goes to Hollywood cover)
"Inspired by many enthusiastic reactions to her acoustic performances, Anneke decided to put together a number of these versions on one CD: ‘Pure Air’. The album hosts Anneke’s performances with Danny Cavanagh (Anathema), John Wetton (King Crimson, UK, Asia), and Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon). ‘Pure Air’ also features collaborations with her favorite Dutch music-friends : Sharon den Adel (Within Temptation), Niels Geusebroek (Silkstone), trumpet player Kyteman and singer-songwriter Marike Jager."

2009: In Your Room
Tracklisting: 1. Pearly 2. Hey Okay! 3. I Want 4. Wonder 5. The World 6. Sunny Side Up 7. Physical 8. Home Again 9. Wide Open 10. Longest Day 11. Just Fine 12. Adore
"There’s absolutely nothing extreme about Anneke van Giersbergen’s new album, let alone anything remotely resembling metal whatsoever. It’s hardly a surprise, as the Dutch chanteuse has been steadily distancing herself from heavier sounds for the past decade, first with her former band The Gathering and then with her subsequent solo project. But the fact is, a large percentage of her fanbase comes from the global metal community; and besides, the lady is so dulcet-voiced and so darned nice that we just can’t abandon her solely because she draws more inspiration from Damien Rice than Paradise Lost these days. (...) The fact is, mainstream singer-songwriter qualities and all, this is a lovely little record. (...) 'In Your Room' sees van Giersbergen and her three-piece band starting to forge its own identity, specializing primarily in sprightly, upbeat alternative pop. I Want and Wonder are both reminiscent of the Cranberries, sans the hackneyed poetry and grating brogue, while acoustic-tinged fare like Hey Okay, Sunny Side Up and Pearly bear a striking similarity to the equally beguiling Norwegian songstress Marit Larsen. However, the clear winner is the Devin Townsend collaboration Just Fine, a pitch perfect ’80s lite-rocker in which van Giersbergen’s impeccable voice soars gracefully."

-- Adrien Begrand, decibelmagazine.com, 12/09

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Recommended Links:

Agua de Annique: official site
Agua de Annique on Myspace