Toni Collette and the Finish - Beautiful Awkward Pictures
(2006)

Review by Ines Machuca

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Toni Collette? Isn’t she that chick off Muriel’s Wedding and Little Miss Sunshine, I hear you say? Oh great. So here we have it - another Tinseltown Princess who thinks holding a microphone makes her a singer...

...Problem is, she, uh...is. A singer, that is. And even though I hate to admit it, a pretty darn good one, at that.

Yes, turns out Toni has (a-la-NIDA-entry-prerequisites) that annoyingly smug ability to not only act - but also sing, write poetry and move about in a slightly awkward-yet-confident way on stage (ie. dance). 

And knowing the bunch that NIDA seems to spew forth quite regularly, she probably also plays an instrument, talk in convincing accents, and balance a fire-breathing monkey on her shoulders while walking a tightrope, too...

However, there is one fact you may not know: Collette never actually finished her course at NIDA. She’s not perfect. And neither is this album.

"Beautiful Awkward Pictures" is her debut album which was independently released in October last year by Toni and her band The Finish, who includes Collette's husband Dave Galafassi on percussion. She has penned all eleven tracks herself, and if I had to describe this offering in only a few words, it would probably be “mellow yet uplifting.” A bit of a contradiction in itself, but take a listen and you’ll soon understand what I mean.

While Collette’s voice is low, smooth and understated, many of the songs leave listeners with a sense of calmness, inspiration even. The title track is a bit of an over-poetic ballad, however the second single and acclaimed stand-out track Look Up lingers in your mind and leaves you humming happily away.

Jonny’s Lips is uptempo and folksy, Tender Hooks makes absolutely no sense lyrically but is surprisingly listenable, while Vitamin Pills is simple in both melody and arrangement - yet beautiful.

While it does have its stand-out tracks and does leave you more than pleasantly surprised that this girl can actually sing, after a while, a few of the songs do start to mesh and sound too much like each other. But then again, so do a lot of other artists’ albums, and that doesn’t necessarily make them bad.

I guess what I’m trying to say here is, yes, Toni Collette can sing - and has managed to write a few good tunes on this debut album of hers, however it won’t be for everyone. If you love poetic, piano-y, folksy sounds – think Dido, or Annie Lennox, perhaps – then chances are you’ll like "Beautiful Awkward Pictures".

Otherwise, you may just find all that poetic eclecticness more awkward than beautiful...

ALBUM RATING: 3 out of 5

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