Venus
Joy Williams
(Columbia)
Three stars
We can thank the break-up of the Grammy Award-winning duo the Civil Wars for giving Joy Williams the space to write this rather affectingly downbeat album.
With more than a nod to the likes of Julia Stone, Tori Amos, Kate Bush and even a hint of an Elbow-like progression in The Dying Kind, Williams achieves a cathartic melancholy throughout. This is particularly evident in One Day I Will, which opens with the line "I'd love to write a happy song"; and the closing Welcome Home.
A former Christian recording artist, Williams admitted in interviews at having to deal with “a huge amount of change in my life, the obvious thing being the implosion of the Civil Wars”. That change is reflected in the lyrics, which are from the heart but not easily labelled.
One wonders if they are directed at former Civil Wars' partner John Paul White, or at her husband, Nate Yetton, who was also the band's manager. And does it matter? Venus is a quietly beautiful album that rewards repeated listening. While it doesn't explain the cataclysmic crash of the Civil Wars, it shows that Williams has moved on.
nwalsh@thenational.ae
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Jawan
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Japan 30-10 Russia
Tries: Matsushima (3), Labuschange | Golosnitsky
Conversions: Tamura, Matsuda | Kushnarev
Penalties: Tamura (2) | Kushnarev
THE SCORES
Ireland 125 all out
(20 overs; Stirling 72, Mustafa 4-18)
UAE 125 for 5
(17 overs, Mustafa 39, D’Silva 29, Usman 29)
UAE won by five wickets
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DSC Eagles 23 Dubai Hurricanes 36
Eagles
Tries: Bright, O’Driscoll
Cons: Carey 2
Pens: Carey 3
Hurricanes
Tries: Knight 2, Lewis, Finck, Powell, Perry
Cons: Powell 3
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Teams
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan Shanwari, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Corey Anderson, Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson, Colin de Grandhomme, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Seth Rance, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.
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Left Bank: Art, Passion and Rebirth of Paris 1940-1950
Agnes Poirer, Bloomsbury
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