[review 2004: the disappointments]

The liner notes for Uh Huh Her are filled with mirror self-portraits, presumably taken at different points of her life. This seems akin to a teenager trying to keep a pictorial autobiography. Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea was arguably Harvey�s most mature-sounding effort to date; on songs like “Horses In My Dreams” and “You Said Something” she commanded an authority beyond her years with her voice. If the vast majority of Uh Huh Her is any indication, Polly Jean�s looking for a fountain of youth.

You can�t blame her for being an artist with a capital A; she definitely pushes boundaries with nearly every record she puts out, and the act of providing most of her own musical accompaniment this time out is laudable. And she certainly does sound younger at points on the album, thanks to the back-to-basics ethic. But too often, the album�s tracks feel unfinished. “No Child Of Mine” goes precisely nowhere, and many other tracks simply stick to a particular refrain, like “Pocket Knife.” The instrumentation is consistent to a fault. Many of the louder numbers, like “Who The Fuck?” and “The Letter,” seem oddly sterile and without spirit; they simply don�t convince the way songs like “Rid Of Me” or “This Is Love” did with their ferocity.

Perhaps it�s worth noting that of the four albums I own (the last four albums she�s put out), my favourites are the critically-lauded Stories and the gothic, underappreciated Is This Desire? While neither is as theatrical as To Bring You My Love, they aren�t nearly as raw as PJ Harvey�s early output, either. Arguably, blistering ferocity is a trick you can only pull off with youth; Uh Huh Her is merely corroborating evidence.