Samantha Marais - The Peppermint Conspiracy

One of the most disappointing things that comes with getting older (I say this as a man who has yet to experience the decrepitude of incontinence and the indignity of sponge baths, of course) is that it becomes more and more difficult to come across music that is truly original. Thank the Lord then, for this strange and eccentric record. It's a downbeat affair with a lazy feel to it, but appealingly so. London-based chanteuse Samantha Marais sleepily walks us through a Fantasia of exotic moods, bizarre imagery and anachronistic melodies. The album opens with what can only be described as Gaelic folk-pop, although later on, more subtle Eastern European and Arabian influences reveal themselves. With spoken poetry, modern acoustic folk, some harps and 12-string guitars, it's difficult to pigeonhole such an eclectic piece of work, so let's just call it 'brilliant.' [Les Ogilvie]