8/2/10
 |
AWOL Band in Shock Return!
Sade releases just their sixth record.
Sade seems to have been around forever and is approaching 30 years, having
formed in 1983. Enjoying the majority of their success in the 90s, it is their
first record in over 10 years. Still having shifted nearly 50million records,
they are still a force to be considered.
Opening track, ‘The Moon and the Sky’ lives up to its ambient title with more soothing sounds than a day at the
seaside. Band poster-girl, Sade Adu’s ageless voice continues to set an impressive scene and this is an encouraging
start. The title-track sounds almost like a personal epiphany, all set amongst
a more-traditional battlefield ambience, complete with marching drumbeats,
off-set guitars and chanting. I wouldn’t call it catchy but it does have its positives.
Sade’s striking vocals are further showcased on ‘Morning Bird’ which acts as a rhythmic display
too. It is a bit of an album-track at heart though and doesn’t register as much else. ‘Babyfather’ has more of a reggae and up-tempo influence. The song is centred around a modern
love story, jumping from different perspectives and is a nice idea, if not an
overly-spectacular result.
‘Long Hard Road’ is more of a traditional Sade tune which Adu’s voice leading the way. The sombre and mellow backing acts as a worthy
accompaniment to her talents and tactfully works its way into the heart of the
record. The chilled-out and reflectional theme continues on ‘Be That Easy’. Speaking from experience is the focus of the lyrics as the song gently strums
away.
‘Bring Me Home’ somewhat reminds of Dido’s ‘Life for Rent’ record in terms of its wishes for a different way of life and reminiscent
theme. This track is packed heavily with resonating instruments, a steady
background and a smooth vocal, of course. ‘In Another Time’ goes further down the reflection road, adding a hint of a sax solo, which would
have worked better with more exposure. As it is, this is another smooth number
which impresses.
Adriana Evans or Shaun Escoffery would easily call ‘Skin’ their own and this is another that really falls in line with the precedents set
earlier in the album. Soulful and melodic, though with a touch more edge than
some of the previous efforts. ‘The Safest Place’ is more in the style of the auto-biographical love song. It further exhausts the
supply of war metaphors to virtual death on record and doesn’t become anything more than a pleasing fade out.
Key Tracks:
- ‘The Moon and the Sky’
- ‘Skin’
- ‘Bring Me Home’
Worst Tracks:
- ‘Soldier of Love’
Considering the album is the band’s first in a decade, you would hope for more but then it’s only been in production since 2009. It’s pretty much as-you-were from Sade and nobody really does smooth and
atmospheric soul better. It’s not going to set the musical status quo on fire but it does have its enjoyable
moments nonetheless. 6/10 CM
Verdict
 |
Non-processed Electro Warning!
British electro masters, Hot Chip release their fourth album.
Hot Chip has enjoyed a cult following and a place at the forefront of the
electro re-emergence, since their debut record, ‘Coming on Strong’ in 2004. This record is very much touted as being back to the basics of the
band and somewhat different from the fairly drastic experiments of ‘Made in the Dark’.
Opener, ‘Thieves in the Night’ is a far-out prism of a tune that interlaces sharp lyrics and funky electro
mischief. After a pulsating intro, frontman Alexis Taylor echoes out: “My friend once told me/something so right/he said to be careful/of thieves in
the night.” This is a real grower of a song and an
exhilarating start.
Second, ‘Hand Me Down Your Love’ is a strong rhythm-backed effort which stays defiant before breaking into
spectacular strings style. It’s almost like a warm-up anthem but doesn’t feel the need to conform to established structures - hear, hear!
Of course a good structure and Röyksopp-like distortion can create a good song too and that’s what happens on ‘I Feel Better’ when the good foundation of the strings pays off into a euphoric line. The
vocals are pretty heavenly too.
Title-track, ‘One Life Stand’ isn’t bad either. Dirty basslines mix with evocative teasing vocals and you could be
forgiven for thinking Justin Timberlake was going to roll off the next line.
The calypso solo is a nice touch too, before the real treasure becomes
apparent.
‘Brothers’ threatens a bit of a Chris De Burgh influence, though hopefully his siblings
wouldn’t provoke the same reactions as the ‘Lady in Red’. If you can get that out of your head, you’ll find a fairly decent introverted dance tune in this. ‘Slush’, unsurprisingly, is just that. It’s got a bit of Empire of the Sun (quirky duet) about it and certainly Barry Manilow or whatever love song connoisseur you wish
to imagine. A weak point though, I think it’s fair to say.
Things take a weirder turn on ‘Alley Cats’, though I’m assuming it’s the companionship and camaraderie that the simile comes from. As it is, this
is a chilled-out echo-fest. The 80s-inspired stylings of ‘We Have Love’ is your official 3rd best tune here with its retro formulation and homage. There’s something very old-school dance about this one.
‘Keep Quiet’ does stake its claim to be a memorable effort with some distorted and very
chilled vibes. And wouldn’t you just know it? The strings help it to achieve that. ‘Take It In’, meanwhile, returns to dark and edgy roots with quite a degree of success, not
least because of the harmonic vocal bridge.
Key Tracks:
- ‘Thieves in the Night’
- ‘One Life Stand’
- ‘I Feel Better’
- ‘We Have Love’
- ‘Take It In’
Worst Tracks:
- ‘Alley Cats’
You have to be fairly impressed by this record and it’s nice to hear electronic music used for creative good rather than commercial
gain. 5 stellar tracks and a couple of minor hits and misses make this a very
solid piece of music. 8/10 CM
Verdict
(c) ChrisOnline.biz 2010
