Could the real Kate Miller-Heidke please stand up?

I almost think Kate Miller-Heidke is one of those artists at her best when in her edgier, more alternative phase. Like, perhaps, Alex Lloyd on Black the Sun or Powderfinger on Internationalist or any of the other recent cross overs into the commercial radio world. Saying that, however, there are plenty of aspects of her music that appeal more to demographics outside the mainstream. The crazy operatic twists in her songs, for example. The lyrics, which clearly place her in opposition to manufactured music. Take the song Australian Idol from the Comikaze EP as a case in point.

Despite the mediocre review in last week's EG, there are plenty of likeable moments on Curiouser. The hilarious God's Gift to Women, with its addictive beats and clever fast-sung chorus, the sweet sounds of Caught in the Crowd and The Last Day on Earth which you can't help but like. There are times when you can't help but wonder if some Sony producer is trying to wedge her into being more commercial radio friendly, perhaps sensing that The One Thing I Know or Can't Shake It might appeal to a certain type of person, or radio producer.

From hearing Curiouser and parts of Little Eve, I'm not sure who the real Kate Miller-Heidke actually is any more. I initially became hooked on songs like Monsters and Space They Cannot Touch, the funnier stuff on Comikaze, where the piano was prominent and her voice sold the songs. These days it seems as though you need a hundred electronic tricks to make the songs more appealing to some supposed potential audience.

I remember seeing her hilarious cover of Psycho Killer on Spicks and Specks, and at her live show earlier this year, there was an energy in her that was quite subversive. More subversive than her two full length albums suggest. So I'm not sure if this is her impression of how her music should be recorded, or someone else's. I'm not going to make assumptions. I just hope the subversiveness doesn't get lost for the sake of selling albums.