Joan as Police Woman

Described by Joan Wasser as "punk rock R&B" and "American soul music," Joan as Police Woman combines two of the biggest influences on her music: classic soul such as Al Green and Nina Simone and the rougher experimental sounds of Sonic Youth and Bad Brains. The mix never sounds contrived, thanks to the intuitive interplay of Wasser's vocals, violins, and guitar, Rainy Orteca's bass, and Ben Perowsky's percussion in the first version of the group. Later, Wasser employed a varied cast of collaborators. Wasser, who has played with everyone from the Scissor Sisters to Lou Reed, b...