As an in-demand singer/songwriter and musician, SYLVIA GORDON (aka Sylvia Black of Kudu / Art World Killer) has gained international acclaim for her compelling collaborations with artists like Black Eyed Peas, Moby, William Orbit, Kelis, The Noisettes, Spank Rock, Benny Benassi and Telepopmusik.
With BETTY BLACK, Gordon steps out on her own conjuring a bewitching “southern gothic chanteuse” whose gripping barbed-wire tales about love, loss, lust and self-exploration are laced with haunting melodies, dynamic musicality and smoldering vocals – with equal parts smoke and bite – that cut like a sensuous blade right to your core.
On BAD WEATHER, the multi-talented musical chameleon delivers a feverish collection of rugged desert rock, pensive melancholic pop and wistful blues – with liberal doses of moody electronics, sharp-edged guitars, driving beats and lush strings.
Recorded at a farm house studio in the Shenandoah Valley, the set was produced and arranged by Gordon, co-producer/engineer Rudyard Lee Cullers (Yeah Yeah Yeahs / Basement Jaxx / Bright Eyes) and Jamin Gilbert. It’s an impressive showcase for the artist who plays bass and synths throughout and even steps out for the first time playing guitar on most of the tracks It’s also a notable departure (both stylistically and thematically) from her rapturous debut Slow Dance, which was a more romantic tinderbox of heartfelt torch songs about love, longing and blissful naiveté.
BAD WEATHER is a more tempestuous and darkly seductive exploration that howls with a primal intensity. There’s a pervasive undercurrent of danger and desire, vulnerability and bravado, urgency and introspection that draws you into its brooding melodrama.
The second installment in a trilogy of releases, the largely autobiographical fete includes the ominous title track and sultry “Am I Not Your Girl?” (both previously issued as singles), along with “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love”(a fiery retelling of the Van Halen classic) , hypnotic new single “Fatality Of Love”, sly country rocker “Paper Dolls”, “Killing Time” and the stargazing “Bitter Moon”.
Press Quotes
“In a perfect world, Betty Black would be your new favorite diva, as she has all of the pop friendliness that the title implies, but grounded in a restless musicality” — Pop Matters
“Black’s voice, reminiscent of Zola Jesus and Bat for Lashes, cuts like a sensuous blade right to your core” — AOL Spinner
“Spine-tingling…an exotic blend of Julie London, Lena Horne and Dusty Springfield, with a Dinah Washington snarl lurking just beneath the velveteen surface for good measure” — My Old Kentucky Blog
“Sylvia’s voice– a supple coil of smooth velvet.” — Time Out New York