Baby Dee
‘Book Of Songs For Anne-Marie’
(Tin Angel)

Originally issued in very limited quantities in 2004, this album from Baby Dee – a transgender performance artist and musician – is now being (re)released in a new version produced and arranged by Maxim Moston from Antony & The Johnsons. Sharing a similar approach to Antony Hegarty in songwriting (no-one is unique, however niche they may be), she shares a similar approach to songwriting – this album consists of tentative, anachronistic piano and harp-led ballads such as ‘Love’s Small Song’ and ‘Endless Night’ that are stripped down yet musically sumptuous and theatrical, all dominated by Baby Dee’s hushed operatic whispers. However, it never quite reaches the remarkable and sublime heights of Antony & The Johnsons, despite continuously inviting the comparison.

Mischa Pearlman