Clairo - Charm : CASSETTE

on a Clear Cassette After taking Clairo out of the bedroom and into the studio on 2021's orchestral folk/pop record Sling, Claire Cottrill did another re-think for her 2024 album Charm. She headed to the studio with Daptone Records heavy Leon Michels and his crew of musicians and resurfaced with a batch of laid-back soul-meets-soft rock tracks that show off Cottrill's feathery vocals and gently hooky songs to great effect. Where she sometimes sounded overpowered by the musical backing on Sling, here she’s completely in charge as her keyboards and vocals slot in perfectly with the inventive work of the group. Never has she sounded as assured as on the bubbling "Sexy to Someone" or the almost insistent "Add Up My Love," and it's nice to hear that she isn't happy just sticking to her strong suit of wistful ballads. Of course, there are a ton of those here and they sound wonderful too. She delivers songs like the dreamy “Slow Dance,” the sleepily Stereolab-inspired “Echo,” and the sweet tr