5/10

As one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary rock music, Karen O has been one of the most hypnotic frontwomen in the world over the last decade. And while her work with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs has been groundbreaking, it is no surprise that she would want to deliver some material with a more personal approach. Hence 'Crush Songs', a collection of minimal recordings of material she has written over the last few years that sees her take on a whole new sound in the process.

Fans of Karen O will be more at home with this album than with her band as this record is completely different in every possible way. Rather than deliver a record to appease her normal supporters, 'Crush Songs' seems to open up a new side to her talents as she opts for short but sweet love songs with just her voice and an acoustic guitar. This very basic sound gives the album an extremely lonely approach and helps highlight the heartbreak that she manages to deliver on every single track.

For the most part, it is a very formulaic album with very little wiggle room between each track. But while this is all part of the album's sound, it does grow stale quite quickly and the shortness of each song gives you no time to really get into it. It seems like a record that is half finished but still has some glimmer of interest in there.