King - 1995 (continued)
King is a working exercise of everything Donelly learned over the
years. Echoes of Hersh's polarities (ethereal verses with ricocheting breaks) and hints of Deal's hankering
for looming guitar passages dot King's landscape. However, King is Donelly's show. While she writes
songs with other Belly members, it's Donelly's quirky time signatures and cryptic observations that shine
through clearest.
"Red" neatly captures Belly's elegance. Shimmering, graceful chords
beckon on a lurching bridge where Donelly and Greenwood alternately yelp and coo chewy-center lyrics
like "mouth like Venus/mountain like Vesuvius." King brings Donelly's pop leanings to light, while
keeping her alternative rock foundations in focus. Belly is reaching its potential, King proves it.
Recorded at Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas.
