A Thousand Shark's Teeth

[The album] exude grace and vocal excellence in the realm of Art Garfunkel or Kate Bush--a consequence of the earth-shattering stakes at hand. The rub is that Shark's Teeth is better than good.

Originally conceived as an album of string-quartet pieces, Shark's Teeth evolved into something more musically full-bodied.

Given Worden’s skill as a vocalist and arranger, it seems My Brightest Diamond is at its best when Worden writes from a raw, wounded place.

The songs glow with rumination, and she avoids heaviness by staying elusive.

Both sides of Worden are equally appealing, and it is the interplay between them that makes A Thousand Shark’s Teeth such an endless pleasure. [Summer 2008]

Though there are crinkled guitars and tiny beats slipped into the mix, they only add to the eloquence of the lush affair.

As equivocal as its title but just as emotionally arresting, A Thousand Shark's Teeth is magnificently bewitching, while eerie and spectral. [Spring 2008, p.96]

As it stands, A Thousand Shark's Teeth is beautiful, more than a little insular, and ultimately intriguing for anyone willing to listen closely.

It’s a swooning, big-gestured album to get lost in. Discovering new complexities and subtleties each time is an added bonus.

Despite the sometime over-the-top dynamics of its voice--the USP that’ll actually be the main appeal to certain admirers, anyway--this album is an engaging listen, one that builds on the promise of its maker’s debut and suggests that, with a little taming, My Brightest Diamond could enjoy the sort of recognition the likes of Bat For Lashes can attract--neither will ever be Björk-sized of profile, but each is creating engrossing, romantic music that transcends genres.

The shimmering showcase for singer/songwriter Shara Worden--frustrates somewhat, retreating from the rocking thrust of her debut. August 2008, p.162]

Frustratingly, what should be the album's best song isn't on the album.... A creative chameleon with endless wells of technical skill, Worden stuffs Shark's Teeth with studied know-how.

In terms of breath-snatching bravura, Worden shines very brightly indeed. [July 2008, p.105]

The resulting oestrogen charge--an operatic Tori Amos with a dab of Jane Siberry--is terrific when Worden reins in the "hello trees, hello sky" imagery, wincingly precious when she fails. [July 2008, p.110]

Shara Worden, aka My Brightest Diamond sings like a female Jeff Buckley on A Thousand Shark's Teeth, a blend of Tom Waits-inspired weirdness, ambient rock and neo-classical textures. [July 2008, p.113]

Too often, Teeth sacrifices that for experiments that translate into beautiful arrangements, but turn songs as a whole into frustrating, incomplete muddles.