It takes a long time to get a voice like Marianne has, ans a lot of Living.
She uses it well on this cd, and I really can't get My Friends Have out of my head.
But it's the voice that pulls it all toghether.

Anthony Rupert get's it wrong below. I am not a Marianne Faithfull fan really, I don't know that I have every even listened to a full Marianne Faithfull album before.
I am a fan of this CD though. The song construction throughout is fresh and unlike much else that is out there.
I would have missed this album all together, but I happened to be in the same restaurant with Elvis Costello a few years back. I overheard him having a conversation with a fan when the topic of Marianne Faithfull came up. Elvis highly praised this release, so I sought it out to listen to it.
I concur with Elvis. If you are board with contemporary music and musicians, I would encourage you to give this one a listen.
Also Anthony, 'My Friends Have' is a great song.

Although melancholic, the album is better than "Broken English" - has very defined melodies matching quality singing. Worth every penny. Marianne Faithfull has voice and she can sing.

The combination of Marianne Faithfull's voice with PJ Harvey and Nick Cave's lyrics and music is the perfect combination - starting immediately with the first track. Admittedly, this is my first Faithfull album, but I am astounded by the genius of matching her with Harvey and Cave.
The result is raw, honest, gritty and beautiful.

This is a one-of-a-kind recording and I cannot recommend it enough.

I am not a huge Marianne Faithfull fan. When "Kissing time" came out some years ago I was struck by the beautifull clash of Legend (Marianne) and new inspired songwriters. "Before the poison" tries to make that magic happen once again. Somehow it does not seem to work as well. Maybe because PJHarvey and Nick Cave are similar enough to typical Marianne Faithfull. Still there are some beautifull moments...