Better, Still - First Impressions of It's Not Me, It's You

Despite an ungodly amount of time spent waiting, a unfortunate name change and album art that just isn't working for me Lily's sophomore effort, It's Not Me, It's You is edging ever nearer towards it February 2009 release date. Fans have been drip-fed tasty nuggets of Lily-related news via her MySpace and an odd partnership with The Sun (which she derides in The Fear but how and ever) but now comes the biggest treat so far, a 7-minute sampler made up of 6 tracks. Included is the new (and bloomin' marvelous) single The Fear, MySpace faves Everyone's At It and Fuck You and three never-before-heard album tracks.

Everyone's At It - A Killers-esque, thumping electro pontification regarding drug use with biting lyrics and a memorable beat. 4/5

The Fear - A scathing commentary on celeb culture set to a simple structure, lush, airy production and a sweeping chorus. 5/5

Not Fair - A tongue-in-cheek dressing down of a boyfriend lacking in the bedroom department despite scoring favourably in all other areas, hardly new ground for Lily but the bizarre and strangely appropriate wild west instrumentation make it stand out. Just like the jovial matinée feel of Alfie's production made that track feel like a concept piece, Not Fair's western vibe gives this slice of cheeky, fun pop a distinct theme. 4/5

22 - A strutting, piano-bar-stlye tale of a woman who people reckon is a bit passed it at the tender age of 30 that lacks a clear hook in its chorus but works overall. 3.5/5

Never Gonna Happen - An accordion and hand-clapping set the backdrop to Lily's frustration with a relationship that has no hope of resuscitation with a pleasing, catchy chorus that lacks a little oomph. 3/5

Fuck You - An anthem that lacks subtlety but more than makes up for it with it's thumping beat, clanging chimes and sweetly sung chorus made up of the rather concise message "Fuck you very much", a sing-along favourite to be sure. 4.5/5

So I suppose what we have here is a pretty strong selection of tracks that certainly whet the appetite for Lily's second outing though hopefully, much as it pains me to say it, we won't be hearing any more album tracks until the the release date. There are only a handful that haven't been heard yet and I look forward to discovering them when the album finally comes out in the new year. It seems Lily put her best foot forward all those months ago when she first released The Fear and I Could Say on her MySpace followed by Fuck You, all of which are still the strongest tracks I've heard thus far. Having said that, when a little ditty like Not Fair comes out of nowhere and delights in an effortlessly joyous way, it serves as a reminder that Lily always have an ace up her sleeve and that she knows how to turn the ridiculous into the sublime when it suits her...

UPDATE: Well against my wishes more material has been released to the public in the form of 15 second or so previews on certain websites and even though I know I should have been strong, I cracked and listened to them....

I Could Say - This sounds much the same as the luscious MySpace demo version that won me over months ago with its plinking, electro loveliness and bittersweet lyrics. This album version spit-shine makes it come up a treat!

Back to the Start - A cluttered, breathless, electro-tinged chorus that should induce a migraine but instead works wonderfully in contrast to the affected, simple verses.

Who'dve Known  - This was a favourite of mine when released on her MySpace and I despaired that it wouldn't make it onto the album due to Take That-related legal issues but perhaps it would have been better left as as it was. The key change in the chorus and polished production detract somewhat from the understated raw simplicity of this little love note.

Chinese - Very much in keeping with the more ethereal, electro sound of her demos this has potential but slightly banal lyrics give it an unwelcome touch of Nash.

Him - Hmmm, Lily musing on the subjects of politics and God should make this a disaster but Lily's trademark astute humour and some airy, simple production make this delightful, as well as a little thought-provoking.

He Wasn't There - More sweet vocals, simple melodies and honest lyrics, this time about Mr.Allen, and it's all beginning to feel a little like old hat at this stage, especially as this is the album's finale but some crackly, faux-vintage production help give it a more pronounced identity.

BRING ON FEBRUARY 9!!!

Amy V Adele (Yes, I'm aware that I'm late to the party but this one has been sitting in My Documents for ages so I might as well share it...)

I feel terrible doing this, honestly I do, but it must be done, a certain Ms. Winehouse and a little record called Back to Black will be mentioned by the time this article has ended. ‘The New Winehouse’, the media raved, many critics replied with sceptical tuts, claiming that Adkins’ debut, 19, had a long way to go before it reached the dizzying heights of Amy’s opus. It seems a little harsh though, doesn’t it? Has Adele done a Beatles and proclaimed that’s she’s bigger than Jesus, or er, Winehouse? Not to my knowledge, a young woman of nineteen years (and not stone as she joked in an interview while promoting the album) presents an immaculate, if somewhat safe, collection of self-penned, raw, heartfelt, soulful ballads and mid-tempos. Stripped back production leaves her rich, versatile and emotionally charged vocals to take centre stage and they never miss a beat or fail to impress. She also exerts a damn sight more personality in one ‘pfft’ on the jazzy little ditty, My Same, than Welsh warbler Duffy conjured up in an entire album. All of this is made even more impressive by the fact that this entire album feels as though Adele is serenading you by firelight or that she’s the talented youngster in the corner of the pub, captivating the patrons with just a guitar and sumptuous voice. And then of course there’s the simple fact that there’s no glossy veneer or heavy-handed production, it’s raw and filled with more resonance because of it.

All of which leads me to my Winehouse comparison. Although she’s a megastar now and highly respected because of her stellar sophomore effort, we mustn’t forget that Back to Black was just that, her sophomore outing. Her debut, Frank, while filled with a handful of exquisite singles, a wonderfully distinctive and powerful vocal style and bucket-loads of potential, wasn’t all that great (low as one might be to admit it through the rose-tinted glasses of hindsight). 19 has no business being compared to Back to Black, or anything else for that matter, it should be taken as it is and for what it is, not what the media buzz imposes upon it. But if we simply must make a comparison, then pit one debut against the other and in doing so, personally, I believe that 19 comes out looking stronger. It’s simply a far more consistent collection of songs than Frank, which even Winehouse has since knocked down a peg or two by admitting that she no longer cares for many of the songs featured on it. Something tells me 19 will stand the test of time more successfully and will be seen as a strong start rather than just the raw potential that Frank now exerts. And then there’s every chance that Adele will reappear on the scene in a couple of years with a stronger, more distinct image, a hum-dinger of a lead single and a bastard of an on-again/off again boyfriend to berate on her second album. It worked once already didn’t it?

Shock as a non-Girls Aloud fan doesn't need a Paracetamol after listening to 'Out of Control'

To cut a long story short

Despite a wishy-washy first single with The Promise (no.1 or not) this is the girls tightest, most mature, emotionally vulnerable and endearing album yet. Higgins and Xenomania leave their mark throughout but someone’s prescribed them Ritalin it seems because they’re no longer bouncing the girls off the walls with hooks and beats going this way and that. Rolling Back the Rivers, Turn to Stone and Love is Pain are all mournful, bittersweet break-up laments while Love is the Key and Live in the Country are funky, up-tempo numbers that pick up the pace but remain restrained enough to cohesively stand alongside the melancholic mid-tempos that make up the rest of the album. Out of Control is a focused, slick pop album that may turn off fans of the upbeat pop stormers of GA’s past but they should soon see that this album acts as a welcome compliment to the more hedonistic days of their ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ sound

Fancy a bit of extra reading?

One thing your average reviewer seems to love about your average Girls Aloud track is that their structure is generally far removed from that of you average pop tune, there's hooks, chants, epic choruses (sometimes three!) and middle eights that are nowhere near the middle. This unorthodox style certainly makes the girl's work standout from the generally standard modus operandi of other pop acts but for me, aside from classics such as Biology and The Show, I find it all too often descends into the chaotic depths of Sexy! No No No, or the catchy but thinly-spread Can't Speak French. Well imagine my delight then, to find a Girls Aloud album that despite a wishy-washy first single in The Promise, is the girls tightest, most mature, emotionally vulnerable and endearing album yet. Higgins and Xenomania leave their mark throughout but someone’s prescribed them Ritalin it seems because they’re no longer bouncing the girls off the walls with hooks and beats going this way and that, this is a focused, slick pop album that may turn off fans of the upbeat pop stormers of GA’s past but they should soon see that this album acts as a welcome compliment to the more hedonistic days of their ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ sound.

Now it seems Popjustice, who would rave about a stool sample released by Girls Aloud, said that the Neil Tennant-penned, The Loving Kind, is a genius feat of pop music with international smash written all over it. Well sorry, but this is dull with an emotional bridge arriving about 90 seconds into the song, throwing everything off kilter with the impasse reached and nowhere to go but down after that. It's Call the Shots II but with generally drearier lyrics and lacking a clear hook. It’s pleasant enough to the ears but it certainly stops short of its potential and any instant classic status that the sycophants over at Popjustice predicted. It is, however, refreshingly melancholic, a theme that carries over to the sorrowful strings and lyrical lamentation of Rolling Back the Rivers which makes for a surprisingly restrained pop-lite sound from the Girls, it's no classic but it sets a more mature tone.

Elsewhere the electro-pop beats of the mid-tempo Turn to Stone delights with its falsetto-laced chorus and mournful tone. Next track, Untouchable doesn't fully justify its nigh-on-7 minutes running time but it's another melancholic delight, Nicola does a nice job here but it's Nadine that steals the show, particularly with her 'beautiful robots dancing alone' verse which is belted out with conviction. Haunting electro-dance comes in the form of Love is Pain, which is caught somewhere between Call the Shots and Girl Overboard (less of the latter, more the former). You'll probably be told to care about this song because it might be about Cole's relationship disaster earlier this year but given that none of the girls put their hand to it and the bulk of the tunes here deal with the trials and tribulations of relationship as it is, I wouldn't call it Blood on the Tracks or even P!nk's So What. Either way, it's bags better than The Loving Kind.

Hmm, do I hear the sound of GA's gift-wrapped kitty cats yawning at the lack hooks that an amnesiac would be hard-pressed to forget? Well, in terms of up-tempo numbers Miss You Bow Wow features the best hook of the album but falls very much into the thinly-spread, repetitive category of GA songs that I mentioned earlier. It's the nearest thing to a pure pop stormer that Out of Control has to offer and my indifference to it surely means that it'll be a fan favourite (though a lyric about slipping into your girlfriend's jeans almost makes it worth the price of admission!)! The only real highlights in this area are the funky Live in the Country with its layered, punchy chorus and charming lyrics (oh and animal sound effects!), the bassy beat and infectious 'gimme the ting' riff of Revolution in the Head (shame about the chorus) the cheeky sixties swing of Love is the Key (the harmonica was big in the sixties, right?)

This is a slick piece of grown-up pop that displays more structure and emotional resonance at the expense of super-catchy hooks and typical Xenomania fare. Nadine doesn’t dominate as usual and the other girls are given a chance to spread their wings as a result. This is a mid-tempo album of break-up songs interspersed with the occasional light relief in the form of cheeky and fun up-tempo numbers. Finally, a GA record that makes an impact without the use of exhaustive musical pyrotechnics, smoke and mirrors.

Hot'n'Cold? 'One of the Boys' is neither a tepid nor a scorching debut...

On a recent radio interview Katy Perry remarked that she got every one of Russell Brand's risqué jokes at his ill-received VMAs presenter gig which would lead one to believe that she's in tune with what the dry sarcasm and irony that permeates typical English humour. And just like those who criticised Brand's performance on MTV those who are criticising Perry for the lyrics of her debut seem to be missing the point of what these performers are trying to convey. When Perry admits to kissing a girl we're not supposed to demand she's shot down in flames, we're supposed to roll our eyes with familiar but gentle derision and proceed to sing along with glee, when she tells her boyfriend he's so gay, we're not supposed to get the LGBT to flood her with hate mail, we're supposed to laugh at her social commentary with a wry smile as she picks apart the metrosexual subculture that many a 21st century man has been lost to. It's all a bit of fun but it seems that reviewers are doing what George Michael explicitly told them not to do, they're listening with prejudice, or bias at the very least. Sure she's the pastor’s daughter with textbook examples of teenage rebellion but as much as she's giving a finger to her devout upbringing she's giving a wink to the listeners and asking us to take it all with a pinch of salt.

She may be singing of being One of the Boys and Waking Up in Vegas but there's no baditude here, Avril 'I'm a punk' Lavigne hand-clapping her way through a bratty cheerleader chant chorus of ‘Girlfriend’ far more contrived that Perry's sweet and sincere vocals accompanied by non-intrusive but successfully memorable melodies. "Get some cash out we're gonna tear up this town" would be cringe-worthy were it chanted over an obnoxious bubblegum rock chorus but instead Katy sidesteps such pitfalls and thus one doesn't get the feeling that she's trying too hard to be anything that a girl who had a bender in Vegas, and more power to her.

Speaking of vocals, Perry's are delightfully effortless and expressive, from the breathy coos of Hot n Cold to the bombast of I Kissed a Girl to the tortured (for Perry), rawness of Lost she never seems to be straining or shoe-horning vocal gymnastics into every chorus. The musical template seems to be mid-tempo, guitar-based pop rock and this formula works to create a happy medium between the air-guitar shredding of Avril and Ashlee's debuts and the purely digitised confection of Britney-bot's last opus. When her lyrics aren't "controversial" they're occasionally cheeky, sometimes a little trite but never banal or completely reliant upon the 'ooh baby baby's that so often act as filler between the generic rhymes of higher, desire and fire or other such pop-by-numbers staples.

There are no real stinkers here, naturally I Kissed a Girl is the standout but it's safe to assume that her debut single will soon fall prey to being overplayed if it hasn't already. Second single Hot n Cold is a cheeky 80s disco throwback if a little generic and If You Can Afford Me follows a similarly fluffy but irrestiably catchy (and sassy) template. Mannequin is a breezy mid-tempo with an anthemic chorus and Thinking of You proves that Perry knows her way around a ballad with an affected vocal and poignant lyrics. There are no 'turn this off immediately' duds to mar the flow of this sassy slice of pop but the first half of the album is quite a bit stronger and more memorable than the latter half which sees the formula wearing a tad thin as each track passes. I'm Still Breathing boasts a more sedate, sombre sound but screams b-side nonetheless while album closer, Fingerprints, feels like well-worn ground by the time it rears its forgettable head. This isn't one of pop's finest debut albums but it is a strong start. There are no delusions of grandeur here, Perry doesn’t break the mould here and no one’s asking her to re-invent the wheel. As long as she churns out the odd mega-hit and keeps the singles in between fun and frothy then she can do no harm in my eyes.

The fact that a young, attractive, female artist is writing her own music and making a splash without shaving her head or overdosing is refreshing these days. Somewhere between Miley and Britney lies Katy. In fact my only major complaint regarding this promising debut is the fact that dark, whistle-along assault on metrosexuality Ur So Gay teases the listener with it's unique sound and one is left wishing that there was a little less pop-rock chick and a little more cutting snark and creeping melodies like this beauty. Oh well what is on offer is sure to please fans of the genre and hey, there's always her second record for that, assuming she can outlive the controversy and proceed past her rep and make it to the hallowed sophomore effort.

I Am...reviewing 'I Am...Sasha Fierce'

From the soaring and anthemic heights of the sublime If I Were a Boy to the handclap-laden slice of southern sass that is Single Ladies to the thumping, glossy Halo to the electro, Europop-flavoured, dance floor filler Radio to the dreamy and ethereal Disappear to the hard-edged, janky, crunk-infused snarl of Diva and so on. I Am...Sasha Fierce takes the listener from sound to sound, from heartfelt and beautifully restrained ballads to beat-driven up-tempo numbers, or at least it would were it not for the maddening two disc presentation of this otherwise slick piece of accomplished and polished R’n’B.

Disc one, I Am... is wall to wall heartfelt ballads and one after the other their shine is dulled. The up-tempo jams of the second disc (Credited to B’s draggish alter-ego, Sasha Fierce) seem rather vacuous when presented consecutively but when interspersed with one another, disc two acts as the perfect edgy yan to the first dics emotional yin. Another irksome factor is the presence of a deluxe edition; the first disc is only further bloated by the dull and somewhat bizarre Smash into You and the sleep-inducing That’s Why You’re Beautiful. The deluxe additions on disc two are more successful in adding a little variation in the form of the brassy (instrumentally and lyrically) Ego and the emotional Scared of Lonely.

Aside from the gimmicky double disc concept and the largely superfluous deluxe edition tracks this is an impressive third effort from Ms. Knowles-Z, her restrained but powerful vocals are consistently dazzling on the ballads and sassy on the up-tempo tracks. However, some of her lyrics can be a mixed bag from trite affirmations of love (On Hello, a deluxe track, she coos ‘You had me at hello’) and the plain odd (‘I wanna run, smash into you’? Again, a deluxe offering). Elsewhere, there are some lovely tales of love to be found here. The dance tracks don’t break new ground and some are total eyebrow-raisers (She brags that ‘It’s too big, too wide... it won’t fit’ in Ego; you guessed it, a deluxe edition track.)

This Sasha Fierce woman doesn’t appear to be all that different from the Beyoncé that brought us saucy treats such Baby Boy and Naughty Girl or the more ghetto Upgrade U so why she was dragged out for her very own disc is a mystery. Where’s the fun in confining the two major sounds of this album to separate discs? To borrow a philosophy from an American confection, what’s wrong with getting a little chocolate in your peanut butter?

Here Come the Girls...

To make a long story short...

Let's face it, Change was a bit of a letdown, it exploded onto the scene with the brilliant About You Now and there were a few blinders to be found in the album's first half but aside from that it was just a bit of fluff that didn't live up to the promise of its instant-classic lead single. Well now we have the opposite in Catfights and Spotlights, a weaker lead single with Girls and the most consistent album of the 'Babes career since One Touch. This is a collection of classy mature, mid-tempo numbers and heartfelt ballads. Things kick off on a sunny, sixties vibe with highly pleasing grooves in the form of You on a Good Day and No Can Do before things turn a little darker with the hard-edged Side Chick, the sumptuous Sunday Rain, the unforgettable Every Heart Broken and the tender Can We Call a Truce. Some maybe find it a little sombre, hopefully the majority will see it as a return to the girls debut and enjoy it on its own merits as well an antidote to the 'everything but the kitchen sink', smoke and mirrors of Xenomania-powered Girls Aloud.

If you don't mind a bit of extra reading...

Oh Keisha, she's taken centre stage on the last two album covers in a move that screams, 'I'm head bitch round these parts', her tenure as the most indestructible of the Teflon-coated Sugababes means that she looks like the cat who got the cream on the cover of the girls sixth studio album, Catfights and Spotlights. And it's no surprise that she's feeling a little smug, she has the most creative control on this album with 7 of the 12 tracks being co-written by her fair hand, while Amelle contributes to 3 and shockingly Heidi co-penned just one. All of the girls have always contributed lyrically to each of their albums in fairly equal measures but most often with a veritable bevy of other songwriters. However it now seems that providing sweet harmonies and a smile on the album cover are the main roles that Heidi and Amelle were assigned. Despite this Amelle's presence is often felt with her distinctive and appealing vocals and her self-penned Beware is deliciously dark highlight. When Heidi does appear she sounds sweet but let's just say that if the girls tour with album, she won't have to break much of a sweat.

The album opens with the Boots-sponsored Girls which is probably the least impressive lead single the girls have ever produced but given such classics as Overload, Freak Like Me and Push the Button introduced previous albums, a heavily sampled, auto-pilot, girl power anthem didn't have such great odds. It starts things of nicely with the horns being echoed sporadically throughout the album which seems to present two separate sounds, frothy sixties mid-tempo numbers and more modern, mature tracks. You on a Good Day falls under the former and sees a somewhat awkward juxtaposition between a sixties soul trio musical and vocal style teamed with lyrics about selling rims. However, on repeat listens the ridiculous becomes the sublime and the mix of retro instrumentation and modern sass is fun twist on a familar sound. And the sixties theme continues to second single No Can Do which may startle at first with it's game show opening titles intro but it quickly develops into a slick, sunny 60s groove. One could question its true credentials as a single but it'll suffice until Every Heart Broken get's it's hugely deserved moment to shine (why isn't it the second single? Poor release choices are what stifled Change and are responsible for a new album being released just 12 months later)

As you might have guessed from the title, Side Chick leaves the 60s behind for a modern, hard-edged, piano-tinged dressing down dealt out primarily by Keisha. It's a slick, beautifully harmonised, relationship anthem marred ever so slightly by the odd immature lyric ("the kissing's amazing" "Trying to get my ya ya", these women are in their mid-twenties not teens!). Sunday Rain is darkly dramatic and a touch theatrical as is Every Heart Broken which begins with the simple plinking of piano keys before strings and then a beatbox layer to create a perfect backdrop for cutting lyrics about boys that the girls have disposed of in the past. Beware is both strong and sorrowful set to simple but sharp strings and mixed with a stuttering beat. And Heidi, who's been mysteriously underused until this point, provides a beautiful vocal on Sound of Goodbye which features a layered, emotionally powerful but subtly arranged chorus. And by track 12 there won't be a dry eye in the house as a tender, emotionally raw ballad, Can We Call a Truce packs a punch without resorting to typically slushy sentimentality, "I rehearsed a little speech, but the whole thing got too preachy"

Overall, the girls, or rather Keisha with an occasional interjections from those other two Johnny-come-latelys, have produced a darker, more mature album that goes down smooth with beautiful melodies some sharp lyrics and welcome theatrics as well as faultless and oftentimes breathtaking harmonies and general vocal polish. This is a certainly their most consistently enjoyable album since Three, some tracks are weaker than others, to be sure, but there are no turkeys here. There is, however, a distinct lack of standout, upbeat anthems which means that this album will accompany a typically rain-drenched winter wonderfully with its understated ballads and mid-tempo numbers but it mightn't be on your iPod by the time Boots starts advertising it's 2 for 1 summer special promotions next year. But who knows, by then they might have a new ad campaign with a brand new song for the girls to sample when album number 7 hits shelves.

One miniscule step for Blog-kind, one giant leap for me...

I have finally given in, I can no longer keep my opinions to myself (though it's probably advisable), I've decided to free my reviews from the confines of my Word Processor (I lie, it's a Works Processor, the full Office suite is too rich for my blood). Not that this is going to make a difference, I was the only one to ever read my reviews before I started this blog and something tells me that I won't be finding an audience any bigger than that on here, but I can dream, hope, pray, PLEASE READ MY STUFF!!!