Townsend Records

siouxsie

Mantaray

CD £9.99

September 10, 2007

After nearly three decades of recording with the Banshees and/or the Creatures, British goth-punk icon Siouxsie Sioux (born Susan Ballion) finally unveiled her first solo outing, MANTARAY, in 2007. Coinciding with her split from longtime musical and romantic partner Budgie (the drummer of both aforementioned acts), the album is clearly a statement of liberation, a point hit home by the surging opener, "Into a Swan," which celebrates transformation, and finds Siouxsie making full use of her powerful voice.
While some tracks on MANTARAY reveal a techno veneer (see the industrial-strength rock of "About to Happen"), other numbers nod to Siouxsie's love of dramatic, jazz-tinged tunes, particularly the slinky "Here Comes That Day" and the swooning "Sea of Tranquility." Although some Banshees/Creatures aficionados may have a difficult time warming up to Siouxsie, the solo artist, the record isn't a radical departure from her earlier work, and it finds the revered singer entirely on her own terms, making it essential for her devoted fans.