Annie Lennox makes heartbreak sound beautiful.
Her gorgeous voice radiates elegance and melancholy and defiance, regardless of its surroundings. And on her latest album, "Songs of Mass Destruction" (RCA), she applies that voice to hearts broken by relationships, by warfare and by unnecessary suffering.
Lennox is still most effective alone at her piano - her unforgettably wrenching performance of "Why?" at Live 8 is a prime example - and that hasn't changed. "Lost," which Lennox takes from a quiet hum to the upper reaches of her range, is touchingly simple. And "Smithereens" will join the ranks of great Lennox ballads, with its Beatlesque swells and soulful vocal flourishes, as she declares "Everybody has a broken heart."
For "Songs of Mass Destruction," though, she also tries to balance the ballads with upbeat numbers. She rocks out a bit on "Love Is Blind." She hits the clubs for "Coloured Bedspread." She combines soul, world beat and a bit of hip-hop on the future anthem "Womankind." And she creates her own "We Are the World" moment, uniting the likes of Madonna, Pink, Shakira and 20 other female stars on "Sing," which will benefit Treatment Action Campaign, which raises funds to treat and educate those with AIDS in South Africa.
Lennox makes it seem so effortless to sweep listeners up in her wondrous vocals that it's easy to forget how hard it is to craft songs this well. Of course, that's the mark of a true master at the top of her game, where Lennox clearly works these days. (Grade: A)
Listen to "Songs of Mass Destruction" here [VH1]
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