Joan As Police Woman - To America

On the third single from her acclaimed second album To Survive, released this summer, Joan Wasser (better known as Joan As Police Woman) duets with contemporary and former bandmate Rufus Wainwright on To America, a simple ballad driven by an uneasy piano motif. Wasser’s honest and vulnerable voice perfectly complements Wainwright’s rich croon, while horns sound a note of anxiety that drops out for the song’s brief and life-affirming coda. Flipside Radish (To Be Free)’s halting acoustic guitar figure is another slight beauty. Both tunes affirm Wasser’s status as a songwriting force to be reckoned with and as a contender for year-end lists. [Gillian Watson]