Sally Timms’s new solo album, To the Land of Milk and Honey, begins with a classic bit of world-weary torch singing: “Round up the usual suspects / Somebody has broke my heart again.” The mix of languor and humor delivered by her remarkable and expressive voice sets the tone nicely for the striking collection of originals and covers that follow. The record is the first of Timms’s solo work to be released in America; her show this Saturday at the Double Door is her first solo appearance in Chicago.
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to Chicago. While cofounder Tom Greenhalgh still lives in Britain, his partner, Jon Langford, now lives here with his wife, as does former drummer Steve Goulding. Timms, who lives in New York with her husband, made the record here with Langford and a host of other Chicago musicians, notably Kingsize studio co-owner Dave Trumfio, who helped produce the album, played bass, and contributed a song. Langford, Goulding, Trumfio, and Poi Dog Pondering’s Dave Crawford will be playing with Timms this weekend.
Timms grew up outside of Leeds. She sang in the church and school choirs, but soon had her head turned around–first by glam (“David Bowie was my ultimate hero”) and then by punk. “I remember going into W.H. Smith. They printed the chart listing every week, and there’d be a big gap where number one was, because it was [the Sex Pistols’ banned] ‘God Save the Queen.’”
