I read on a message board that this British singer named Duffy was the new Amy Winehouse, well that kinda turned me off, as I’m not really much of fan of Amy. I’ll admit that I haven’t heard her Grammy Award winning album, and I’m still on the fence whether I should. That whole retro-soul sound kinda turns me off. Sort of like when some of these so called Neo-Soul singers make these songs which sound like they’re trying to recreate the sound of late 60’s-70’s soul that they grew up on, but it just sounds boring and inauthentic, yeah maybe that’s because it's 2008 and not 1972. Anyway I decided to give Duffy a try after watching seconds of a video for her song Mercy during my daily workout. I was interested in watching the video because I recognized it because it was used for a commercial to promote an ABC network show. It was only a small clip of the chorus that was used, but it peaked my interest nonetheless. So I decided to give this Duffy a try.
The title track, "RockFerry" seems to be a good intro song for Duffy as it embodies the sound that you can expect with the entire album. The song is about escaping from a situation, more specifically a person, most likely a significant other who she has determined to be not good for her anymore. “The midnight trains are boarding, all at the ends/ I put my lord and I filled my trunk before it's too late/ I leave the stars to judge, while we moved/I'm not going to think of you or I'll get the blues/”Although I may be wrong the song may just be about leaving her life behind and starting a new one. She sings really well here.
"Warrick Avenue" is another location song, about leaving her significant other and continues with this throwback sound that is a running theme during the duration the album.” I’m leaving you for the last time baby/You think you’re loving/But you don’t love me/And I’ve been confused” It’s a very nice mid tempo song.
“Serious” is a nice up tempo song about her having doubts in her relationship. She as the title indicates she doesn’t know how serious her and her beau really is, if they are really in love or not. “How you really feel for me/Tell me, can we ever be,/ Serious? Serious in love?” …”A joke on my expense/In front of all your friends/All the time/A game you like to play/Leaves me solo/ every day.” I like this song. It’s a real laid back song that could easily be sung along to.
“Stepping Stone” is another song about a broken relationship. Four songs in and I’m rooting for this girl for be happy and find a relationship that works. What an emotional downer this cd has been so far. “You got your kicks, you get your kicks from playing me/and the less you give the more I want, so foolishly/”. It’s a slow song that depending on your mood could be written off as forgettable.
“Syrup and Honey” is a slow possessive song telling her man, not to spend his time too occupied with other things that only divert him away from her, because she is all that he needs. “Don't you be spending every day working away/Because I’m waiting for you/Listen to me 1,2,3/Baby, Baby, Baby/Spend your time on me”
“Hanging on Too Long” is another slow song which goes back to the theme of a disappointed, failed relationship. In this song Duffy sings about a sinking ship of a relationship and just like in the tradition of sinking ships, she playing the role of the captain stays hangs in there and goes down with the ship. “It was just my mistake/Thinking you cared/It was just my mistake/Thinking you'd be there…. I know it's wrong/Hanging on too long/I know it's wrong/Hanging on too long/But I beat 'em all/Hanging on too long”
“Mercy” is the first single off of this album. It’s a catchy, up-tempo song about her being in love with another guy. “I love you/but I gotta stay true/my morals got me on my knees/I'm begging please stop playing games” Despite its retro sound, Mercy actually sounds like it’s not outdated.
“Delayed Devotion” is a very nice mid-tempo song about promises that were made just a little too late, and now she doesn’t want them to come true because she’s through. “It seems you wanna give me/Oh a life time of security/Down on your dying knees/ I watch you babe I watch you please/But your words come much too late/My love for you has turned to hate”
“Scared” is a mid tempo song about another failed relationship that she has taken very hard. Either that or her guy died on her, but either way, she’s scared. “I'm scared to face another day/Cause the fear in me just won't go away/In an instance/You were gone/ And now I'm scared”
The last song is “Distant Dreamer” is a good mid-tempo which finds Duffy being introspective. “Although you think I cope/my head is filled with hope/of some place other than here/Although you think I smile/inside all the while/I'm wondering about my destiny/I'm thinking about/all the things/I'd like to do in my life/I'm a dreamer/a distant dreamer/dreaming for hope, from today/” This song is a good dramatic send off for the album.
I already stated going in to this review that the retro/throwback sound of the 60’s that was adapted by Amy Winehouse and others just wasn’t my cup of tea. I enjoyed this album, but I didn’t really like it. I know that may not make much sense but let me explain. I enjoyed it as a first listen experience, but I don’t see myself replaying this CD over and over. I think that the sound of the cd puts me off a bit. I was patiently waiting for Lulu or the ghost of the deceased Dusty Springfield, or some other 60’s blue eyed British soul singer to leap into a song for a duet with Duffy, and not be able to tell the difference between who’s singing. Now to be fair, vocally Duffy performed well on Rockferry, but the style of songs just sound so outdated. And its kind of depressing that this kind of sound is supposed to be breath of fresh air in today’s music. Sure I guess its great that there’s producers who are actually playing real live instruments, but come on, it seems like if this CD was dropped off in1960’s London that it would just become part of the "bunch" so the speak. Now some of the songs work in this style and others don’t. Mercy is a good song that sounds retro but contemporary at the same time. Really any of the songs near the end of the disc could be a one off “gimmick” song on any cd by a current artist. But this entire cd is just a running gimmick in my eyes, its saving grace however, is that its good music.
I’ve been seeing this commercial for Rhapsody online music for a while now featuring this “new” artist Sara Bareilles. At first I didn’t think much of it. Sure it was a nice snippet of a lil’ cute song, but it was all that it was to me until I saw the actual video and heard the full song. I wasn’t shocked and amazed by the song, but I liked it enough to download her latest album “Little Voice”.The following is my review of the album.
The album starts with her popular hit, “Love Song”.I must say that I really enjoy this song. From the clean and clear piano keys in the beginning to the lyrics, it’s a very delightful song. The back story on this song is that it’s not a song about a guy at all. Sara wrote this song in response to her record label pushing her to well, write a love song as single for this album. With further inspection the lyrics backs up this story. “Blank stares at blank pages/ No easy way to say this,/you mean well, but you make this hard on me/ I'm not gonna write you a love song,/cause you asked for it /cause you need one, you see” I have to say I can really dig a chick that rebels against her record label, and then has it turned into a hit record. She didn’t write Epic a love song, but I’d bet that they’re not complaining.
The next song, “Vegas’ is about, you’d guessed it, Las Vegas, well not completely she also add in New York, and Mexico for a lyric or two. The song is more about starting over than sight seeing, with they lyrics “Listen up now honey, you're gonna be sorry/Can't get out from under a sky that is falling” This song has more of a progressive bluesy feel to it, which really gets you into the mood that the lyrics are trying to present. Next up is “Bottle It Up” I must say this is a nice pop song about the struggles of finding love/being in love. “I am aiming to be somebody this somebody trusts/With her delicate soul/ I don't claim to know much except soon as you start/to make room for the parts/ That aren't you it gets harder to bloom in a garden of/Love love love love/ Love Love love love” The first thing I thought after I heard this song was that this would be perfect for a second single, and unbeknownst to me, this is her second single. Someone at her label really likes her. The next song “One Sweet Love” is a acoustic guitar driven introspective song about what else love. I am starting to succumb to the fact that this entire album one way or another is about love. The title of the song say sit all. It’s about her one sweet love, but a love that is already gone. “The time that I've taken /I pray is not wasted/ Have I already tasted my piece of one sweet love?”
The depressed themed “Come Round Soon” is up next. This is a song about a lover who’s just no good. Following that is the“ I want to leave but I just can’t” anthem “Morningside” . And just when you think the album is going to go in a softer direction with the ballad “Between the Line” The mood pops right back up with the up beat “ Love on the Rocks” a song about a love that she is having a hard time with. “Here's a simplification of everything we're going though /You plus me is bad news /But you're a lovely creation and I like to think that I am too /But my friend said I look better without you”. It’s a really good song, which would serve a really good third single.
The final string of tracks are slower, softer songs to close out the album, with the bluesy introspective love song, “Many the Miles” being the standout song of the bunch. Honestly I can’t find a bad word to say about this album, as there is not a bad song on to be found. The lyrics are great and so is the accompanying music. This is a very well put together album with songs that about love and relationships, but never goes the route of being mushy, or over sexed. They are simply put, true love songs, which are a rarity in today’s popular music market. Although she this is not her first album, as many of the songs found on her 2003 album “Careful Confessions” like “Love on the Rocks” , One Sweet Love” and “City’ among others also appear on the 2007 “ Little Voice” so for all purposes this is her debut album, or rather a retry album for a major label debut for Epic. This isn’t just one of those albums that are good for being a debut, but it is truly a good album. I look forward to hearing more music from Sara Bareilles in the future.
Alicia Keys is a rare artist in this day. She’s a singer/song writer, who could pass for pop, but she’s not really pop. She could pass for hip hop, but she’s not really hip hop. She could also more realistically pass for R&B, but then again she’s not strictly R&B. She’s more of a delightful mixture of the three genres, plus throw in a few others and what you get Alicia Keys. When I look at her career, I can’t help but to think that I’m looking at a legend in the making. After with a solid debut with “Songs in A Minor” I asked myself how in the hell is she going to top this. Well just lets say that I was left with the same sentiment after hearing her follow up, ‘” The Diary of Alicia Keys”. So my expectation for her third solo, “As I Am” was very high.
The Cd starts off with her playing her piano classical style, and then moves into incorporating it into a hip hop style beat. It’s cute but it’s really not needed. I would have just had a simple speaking intro or jumping into the lead off song right away. That lead off song is “Go Ahead” is a mid tempo song about a relationship gone astray. She’s telling the guy to get gone and out of her life. “I thought you gave me love Was never near enough/Soon enough time reveals/The weight of what is real/Know all I need to know/Boy see you got to go/What have you given me ?/But lies lies” It’s a strong lead off song that should’ve been the first thing that was heard when the album started, but I’m not going to dwell too much on it. The next song is “Super Woman”. “I hang my head from sorrow/Slave to humanity/I wear it on my shoulders/Gotta find the strength in me” This song is about the struggles and trials of women trying to deal withtheir problems., saying that even though it may seem impossible you can still pull through. It’s a nice little inspirational song for the ladies. Up next is “No One”. This is one of the better singles Ms. Keys has put out over her career. The piano and the thumping kick drum pounding in unison to start the song really get you in the mood to enjoy this song catchy song. The song it self is about not giving up on your love, and having the assurance that one you’re with is the “one”. “I know some people search the world/To find something like what we have/I know people will try try to divide something so real/So till the end of time I'm telling you there is no one”.
Next is the “Live You’ll Never See Me Again” and single off the album. This song is about making every moment with the person you love count. “If I had no more time / No more time left to be here/ Would you cherish what we had? /Was it everything that you were looking for? Now I like this song its slow and melodic, but every time I hear it I can’t help but think of it as cheap prince Rip off. The way she sings it makes me think that this was an unreleased song off of the “Purple Rain” soundtrack that she some how got her hands on, re-recorded it and claimed it as her own. It’s not a bad song at all, but for someone who has heard a lot of Prince in his life (mostly involuntary) its just the impression I get from hearing the song. The next song“Lesson Learned” is song for the broken hearted, featuring an eerily out of place John Mayer, singing the chorus with Keys. “Yes I was burned but I called it a lesson learned/ Mistake overturned so I called it a lesson learned” It’s a pretty good slow song, and once I learned to embrace Mayer’s vocals on it, I found it enjoyable. After hearing this song, it’s evident that it’s very hard to just put Keys in the bracket of solely R&B. The next three songs show’s off her range and diversity.“Wreckless Love” has more of an mid tempo jazz feel to it. It sounds like it’s a trying to be a 1940-ealry 50ish R&B/Jazz throwback with a modern sound infused with the two. This song is about making reckless love, wait who am I fooling? It’s a classy jazzed up sex song. Let me just say I hope that a video for this song is released. “The Thing about Love” is a slow song with Keys again giver her take on love. “Teenage Love” is a hip hop influenced song about young love. I’m not sure if this song contains a sample, I wouldn’t be surprised if it did, and then again I wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t. She has a pretty good production team behind her. But my best guess is that it is sample based. The next song “I Need You “is a nice up tempo song about how she feels about her guy not believing in her love for him. “So how could you look me in my eye/and not see what, what I feel inside? /tell me how could you doubt the fact that I/I love you... I love you? Now the song that does use a sample is the ‘Where Do We Go From Here” The song is about a break up. “When I cry your name/Am I calling in vain? /Oh and am I waiting only to drown in pain”.
The next few songs left on the album are slower ballads, with the lovely song ‘Sure Looks Good to Me” being the standout. I’m not sure but it borrows a melody from another song, but I just can’t place it. I’m not sure I may be wrong, and that wouldn’t be the first time. This is a great closing song, and I can see using this song as a final single to promote the album. This song also proves just how eclectic Key’s music is as these sounds much like a contemporary pop song, that you would year on a lite-rock station, but not a newer song, but one of these “classics” from yesteryear. It does have a very old school vibe to it.
This is a very good, and diverse album by Alicia Keys. She moves slightly away from the R&b/Hip Hop realm and dives into the pop world head first. Keys is one of those artists that improve with every outing, and this time is now different. ‘As I Am” is a step up for Keys and is also one step in her proving herself as a future legend. There are some songs that I could do without like the “Intro for one” I’m sorry but I couldn’t let it go, and the short “Prelude to a Kiss” which isn’t really needed on the album. Over all for Alicia this album is a success, and if you never thought she was a star, not only does the album sales, but the quality of this album solidifies her as one.
I came across this band while watching IMF( International Music Feed), a video music channel that showcases popular music from around the world, although most of the videos are from the good ole’ USA, butthat’s another story. The video that seems to get heavy rotation is “Ice Cream”, their huge hit, well at least from their part of the world (England & Australia). I thought the video/music was cool, nothing great, but it got me interested. So I tracked down the band and their debut, and only album to date, Fantastic Playroom. Well to be honest while listening to this album the band is neither innovative, nor nothing outstandingly new. In fact they have this very retro sounding theme to them. If someone went in a time machine and dropped this album off somewhere in the 80’s this band would be smack dab in the middle of the New Wave scene. In fact it seems like they’re trapped in a time warp. They are labeled as Nu Wave/Rave and/or New-Disco, which may describe the 80’s love affair that is the Fantastic Playroom. With all that said the album does provide good dance music that seems to dare bubblegum but never has enough guts to go all out, which is a good thing.
Singer Tahita Bulmer isn’t particularly a good singer in terms of vocal ability, in fact she’s quite bland and seems very uninterested at first listen, but if you listen enough her vocals actually mesh well with the accompanying music. Couple that with the comforting notion that she seems to be aware of her vocal limitations, I think I’ll let her pass as a lot of not so good singers try to do too much, she doesn’t. The first song on the album, “Get Lucky” is a very catchy song, which is about getting lucky. “Recycle this if you're breaking the ban/ let your girlfriend do what your boyfriend can't”... yeah I like it, although the lyrics to the song is not exactly straight forward as these lyrics.The next song “Hiding in the Staircase in the staircase is a catchy song about feminism (or as best I can tell) “It’s the sound of revolution in the bedroom /But we know there's nothing doing/ Because we're hiding on the staircase”. Noticeable in this song is the tribal drums playing in the background, and makes me think this album is going to be very diverse. Next up is “Ice Cream” an innuendo laden dance song, littered with synthy goodness. “Drink me like a liquor, /c'mon and dip your dipper show me what you're here for, guy” This song is a really good pop song as is the closest to bubblegum this album gets. The next couple songs “The Bomb” and “Jerk Me” are both fun sex songs with “The Bomb” being the better of the two. Actually “Jerk Me” is actually a forgettable song.
The next song “The Get Go” sums up the kind of sound this band is going for, as it is a throw back to the New Wave era of the 1980’s. Unfortunately, as much I like this song, as it about the intention to get a ‘bad boy” in the sack, it starts the decline of the album for me. The other remaining songs sound like they were made one after the other, as they are all very forgettable songs. The last song, “Tight Fit” contains the lyric “I make a mold of me/ to make a mockery”, basically it’s a song about not being comfortable in your own skin and trying to find yourself. If it wasn’t the last song, I would’ve received it a little bit better, as it’s a good song standing on own, but after the downhill march for me after “ The Get Go”I felt like saying enough already.
So what do I make of this album? For a debut, I think it’s a good introduction, as in terms of letting the audience know what kind of sound you’re putting forth. But over all I think where this album and this band falls short is the same thing that makes them stand tall. Which is their sound, I am fully aware of this Nu Wave genre of music, but at times it seems like this band is trying to emulate their influences instead of taking those influences and moving forward with it to make a new sound. I don’t know maybe I’m asking too much from these guys, maybe I was listening to this album waiting for something that was never going to happen. But I can’t help but to think that songs from this album could be played at 80’s night at some hip New York City club with a bunch of late thirty and early forty year olds saying to each other, “I don’t remember this song do you?” With one saying in response “I think so, but I’m not sure”.That pretty much sums up the New Young Pony Club in a nut shell.
Hi. Its me Johnny Starks here with the introduction for Starks Review. This is a music review blog featuring me reviewing just about anything that I feel like. It doesn't matter what genre it is, if I hear it I'll review it. Now I'll be the first to say that I'm not a musician. I'm just someone who likes to think that he knows what sound good and also knows good music when he hears it. So most of my reviews won't have anything to do with the instruments being used in the song, or any of the technical stuff that you often find in reviews. No its just me basically deciding if I like the songs on the album or not. Now I understand that everyone has their own musical taste, and some might not agree with my review, but you know what it's a free country so ease up. Live a little before you die and understand at the end of the day its just music. Here we go....
