Marvelous album from the onetime Opus III vocalist compiles tracks Ms. Hawkshaw has done on her own as well those she has done as a featured vocalist on other artists' albums over the past few years.
The gorgeous 122-bpm Jimmy Gomez produced "Just Be Me" is a prettily languorous vocal track that drives along incessantly while maintaining an aura of wistfulness, a mood that continues in the 125-bpm dreamily swirling James Holden Remix of "Fine Day," Hawkwhaw's own reworking of her Opus III classic "It's A Fine Day." Other uptempo dance tracks on the album include the 136-bpm "Walking On Clouds" and the 138-bpm "Sincere For You" (where she shares performance credits with Tiësto and Lange respectively), a pair of throbbing Trance anthems that call to mind the classic Perfecto label releases with their effortless mix of angelic vocals and energetically soaring production as well as the 128-bpm "All I Want" which combines delicately repeated vocal loops and building piano work over a breakbeat inflected rhythm track.
However, in addition to the club-oriented material, "Meta-Message" is balanced out with a number of downtempo Electronica tracks that showcase Hawkshaw's talents just as well like "Whisper" (done with Slovo) and current single "Reach For Me" with their acoustic guitar flourishes or her appealingly graceful Delirium collaboration "Nature's Kingdom." The exquisitely mournful "Battleship Grey" (another Tiësto partnership track) and the churning downtempo "Blackout" (the result of an alliance with Hybrid) with its swirling backdrop are yet more fine illustrations or Hawkshaw's ability to deliver noteworthy performances on mellower material.
The fact that "Meta-Message" is able to strike this winning blend between full-throttle dance tunes along with less-energetic yet just as emotional tracks is what ultimately makes the album as a whole such a satisfying treat and best indicates Hawkshaw's great promise for the future.
