5/10/09
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Pop Diva Back to Shak It Up Some More
Shakira is probably more famous for her unique brand of exotic pop, as opposed
to any real musical nous.
Sure it’s a unique niche in the market, but certainly amongst an English-language
audience she’s seen as more novelty than maestro. So can the Neptunes change all that?
Opener ‘She Wolf’ is a quirky electro pop romp. Featuring a genuinely-addictive beat and echoing
of more than just a vibe of the most eccentric 80s underground classics, this
is a resounding success, particularly her wolf impression.
‘Did It Again’ is an overpowering Latin belter. Utilising all her most
natural roots, her husky, progressive voice zips in and out of a mighty rhythm.
The Neptunes work their most atmospheric charm in a great example of how a
singer can be as just as effective at creating such a sound.
The bass is pumped up to the max, alongside some thunderous salsa beats for ‘Long Time’. Shakira uses every trick in her trademark arsenal with some fast rapping and
yodelling accompaniment. This one is quite disappointing really and sticks as a
pure album track.
‘Why Wait’ doesn’t make such basic errors as its predecessor. The beat is behemoth, the bridge
entrancing, this is almost like a tribal dance the feel is so electric. As it
is, it’s an outstanding effort and really breathes personality into the record.
Pharrell uses some of his old tactics on ‘Good Stuff’ and there’s more than just a reminder of Kelis’s ‘Tasty’ record. Whereas he fused hip hop with polyphonic rhythms that time, he now tries
to marry calypso with Latin pop and it’s not a heavenly union.
It’s back to pop basics for ‘Men in This Town’ with the same production as ‘She Wolf’. It just comes off as more of a cheap David Guetta clone, complete with overtly
retro sound effects. ‘Gypsy’ goes down the same unsure road that Goldfrapp took with their last record and
the results are just as ghastly.
Wyclef Jean is somewhat desperately dragged in for ‘Spy’ in another dramatic style move. This time it’s old-school dance mixing with Shakira’s wailings. In purely a victory for musical chemistry and improvisation, it
somehow works.
‘Mon Amour’ tries to place the poor girl as a rock chick as a thunderous guitar epic goes
off behind her. There’s certainly nothing wrong with her side of the deal, but this one is just ill
advised.
Key Tracks:
‘She Wolf’
‘Did It Again’
‘Why Wait’
‘Spy’
Worst Tracks:
‘Long Time’
‘Men in This Town’
‘Gypsy’
‘Mon Amour’
It’s hard not to feel sorry for Shakira here. Basically, the three stand-out
efforts are ‘She Wolf’, ‘Did It Again’ and ‘Why Wait’, and it is certainly no coincidence that all of them appear as Spanish versions
to end the disc. The gulf in quality between those efforts and the stereotyped
other styles is nothing short of a chasm. In the biggest musical laboratory of
the year, Shakira has somehow found herself sitting on three classics. Who said
this industry’s simple?
5/10 CM
Verdict
Paloma Faith - ‘Do You Want the Truth or
Something Beautiful?’
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Eclectic Songstress Debuts
Paloma Faith is the eclectic singer/actress whose jazzy funk style has been
compared to Amy Winehouse.
She’s also somewhat of a fame junkie and you may have seen her appearances on
celebrity music gameshows. Now the time for talking is over as she releases her
debut record.
Opener ‘Stone Cold Sober’ is a good indication of what Faith is about. A quirky and likeable voice gently
echoes, Winehouse style, over a funky jazz beat. This has got mainstream appeal
written all over it and it’s no surprise this has had advertising companies drooling.
Second effort, ‘Smoke & Mirrors’ has got the same incisive lyrical content, toe-tapping beat and smooth
backing touches. Faith’s voice goes through a full round of vocal experiences and there’s also some trademark ‘Back to Black’ chimes thrown in for good measure.
There’s no doubt a lot of work has gone into this record with numerous session
musicians contributing and producers including Mika’s long-term collaborator, Jodi Marr. ‘Broken Doll’ is another example of fantastically vivid lyric-writing as Faith tells a
Pinnochio-like story with the brilliant line: “You thought my heart was made of wood/but I can hear it beat.”
The title-track is another stellar offering. Supported by a range of
atmospheric orchestral backing, the lyrics are again top-notch and Faith’s voice oozes class. ‘Upside Down’ adds a new dimension with old-school backing vocals that really capture the
essence of soul music. The beat is fun, doesn’t take itself too seriously and generally flows like the Nile.
A personal favourite is the modern love-story that is ‘Romance is Dead’. Quite an ironic story of lacklustre attempts at loving, you can’t help but chuckle at the hap hazard subject, even the bridge goes “roses are blue and violets red.”
The second single, ‘New York’ has been somewhat overshadowed by Jay-Z’s epic tribute to the city and is a likeable, if by no means the finest effort
here. The lyrics are just as insightful, the delivery first class, but there’s just something missing about the end product, still a decent effort though.
‘Stargazer’ is another track that just doesn’t quite match the high standards set earlier in the album, even with its
likeable dreamy vocal pitch. The same is true of ‘My Legs Are Weak’ and it’s a genuine shame that modern record company tactics including sticking the
duffer tracks right on the end. These are the kind of things that separate the
good albums from the great. In fairness, ‘Play On’s theatrical style gives it more substance than the previous three.
Key Tracks:
‘Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?’
‘Play On’
‘Stone Cold Sober’
‘Smoke & Mirrors’
‘Broken Doll’
‘Romance is Dead’
‘Upside Down’
Worst Tracks:
‘My Legs Are Weak’
All in all this is a very strong debut from Paloma Faith and having seven fine
tracks out of ten really is some achievement on a first offering. One can only
hope that she goes on to better what is a beautiful opening effort. 8.5/10 CM
Verdict
(c) ChrisOnline.biz 2009
