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The Observer SEPTEMBER 28, 2014 - by Phil Mongredien

MARIANNE FAITHFULL: GIVE MY LOVE TO LONDON

A singular talent on fine form...

Over five decades, Marianne Faithfull's recording career has always been somewhat overshadowed by her tempestuous personal life. That's a shame because when she hits form - as she does here, on her twentieth album - she's one of our most singular talents. Give My Love To London features an inspired collection of collaborators, including Roger Waters, Nick Cave, Anna Calvi and Brian Eno, yet Faithfull never yields centre stage, her gravelly voice imbuing this collection with, by turns, passion, regret and - on Mother Wolf - icy contempt. It isn't quite as good as 1979's extraordinary Broken English, but the likes of Falling Back and Sparrows Will Sing are the equal of anything she's done since.