Astrid Williamson was the frontperson for Scottish trio Goya Dress in the mid-'90s. After the dissolution of the band in late 1996, Williamson opted to go solo under the alias of her first name. Though a classically trained pianist and confessional-style singer/songwriter with a uniquely haunting and beautiful voice, Astrid's numerous comparisons to Tori Amos were lazy. Distinctive in her own right, Astrid's songwriting was more down-to-earth, subtle, and intricate than that of her redheaded peer; Kristin Hersh and Polly Harvey are better touchstones, but even those positive comparisons do little to bottle her artistry.