I was lucky to get a sneaky listen to a few new tracks from Paloma Faith, which are from her forthcoming album, Fall To Grace. One thing you always notice from Paloma Faith is her songwriting and it is on top pop form in these new tracks. I heard three tracks called Thirty Minute Love Affair, Picking Up The Pieces and Just Be.
Thirty Minute Love Affair for some odd reason made me think of Cher! Hopefully you don’t take that as an insult, but it was the style of song mixed with the backing vocals that really made me think of her. It is a piano based song with a nice raw feel, it definitely isn’t too over produced, which is nice to see in the pop world at the moment.
Picking Up The Pieces (which I believe is being played for the first time on Radio 1 today) is a nice track that shows off her vocal style quite nicely. I heard a little bit of Emeli Sande in the drum style, vocals and production – I wonder if the same producer worked on it?
Just Be is a melancholy piano based ballad and a little similar to Thirty Minute Love Affair with less going on. However, the track I heard was a demo, so they could end up making this track into something more epic.
Listening to the tracks above I get a sense that Paloma Faith is changing her direction a bit from the last record, which was very produced with lots of horns and extras sprinkled on top. This seems a much more natural and raw set of tracks. Do you reckon the rest of the album will be the same or completely different?
Jessie J – Who You Are Who You Are is released February 28th 2011 on Island.
If you haven’t heard of Jessie J yet then you are a) missing out and b) living under a rock! It is hard to get away from this new pop sensation who already has a number 1 single, a tour that sold out in 3 minutes and a debut album that had it’s release date brought forward due to demand.
Who You Are is without doubt a classic pop album similar to the likes of Rihanna, Pink and Katy Perry. Although I find the songs fit perfectly into that genre there are elements that distinguish her from the pack from vocal riffs to the sneaky bit of Essex that comes out every now and again.
Songs like Rainbow and Abracadabra could easily be songs penned for the pop artists I mentioned above but if anything that is a testament to Jessie’s songwriting skills. The songs that make this album a less generic pop album are the sassy Mamma Knows Best and guitar driven tracks like Who’s Laughing Now and the debut single Do It Like A Dude, which made people take notice of her in the first place. If you are looking for an album like the debut single then you will be surprised as there is an eclectic mix of pop ballads, pop rock, RnB and even reggae vibes.
Some versions of the album include acoustic versions of Do It Like A Dude and Price Tag as well as live versions of Who You Are and Big White Room. These are welcome extras as it proves her vocal ability and helps to give her the credit she clearly deserves. It’s about time pop stars were recognised for their singing don’t you think?
What I will say about this album is that it doesn’t do her justice. Aside from songwriting her talent really lies in live performance and to me the album is an accessory to the ‘real’ product. Buy the album but don’t forget to catch a live performance… because that’s what all the cool kids are doing.
Adele – 21 21 is released January 24th 2011 on XL Recordings.
I wanted to start this review with ‘there is nothing that disappoints with this album’, but I thought maybe that was a little too biased or bold. So, with this in mind I racked my brain to find something not so great about it, which was hard. All I got was that there isn’t much of a departure from Adele’s debut album, 19. Then I thought, why should there be? It is an intelligent, emotion filled album depicting a relationship’s blossom and demise and it is brilliant!
There I said it, I really like this album. It is full of killer harmonies, which is a signature I love about Adele. The stomping beats of Rumour Has It, the second track on the album following the first single Rolling In The Deep, showcases great songwriting with impressive vocals, handclaps and a great breakdown section.
Many see Adele as the queen of modern piano ballads and I would have to agree as 21 is full of epic songs equal to and surpassing Chasing Pavements and Hometown Glory. For me, the stand out ballads are Turning Tables and Someone Like You, which are so bare but rich with emotion.
As I mentioned earlier, it is no secret the album is about one relationship and is successful in portraying the range of emotions we all know, from “go on bring it on, I’ll lay your shit bare” to “i’m glad you are happy, but don’t forget me“. Although it has the same subject matter the album never gets boring and the songs are sufficiently individual.
Another song I must make sure I mention is the soulful and groove fuelled I’ll Be Waiting, which reminds me of another artist I love, Diane Birch. With a hint of blues and covered in brass, I have a feeling this song might be a second single from this colourful and down right fantastic album!
Any PJ Harvey fans out there? Well you lot will like this news… she is streaming a track from her forthcoming new album Let England Shake on her official website right now as we speak! Written On The Forehead is the first taste of the album and you can listen to it below:
This will be PJ Harvey’s eighth studio album, which is impressive in itself and it is set to be released on the 14th February 2011 through Island Records.
Interesting fact: The album was recorded in a 19th Century church in Dorset, UK with long time collaborator Flood who co-produced the album with PJ Harvey, John Parish and Mick Harvey.
Initially I thought it was very similar to Disturbia by Rihanna, but as it gets going the vibe turns distinctly more gritty British underground rather than twisted American horror movie… did that make sense?
Watch the video and see what you think, the official video for the debut single from British underground legend Jessie J:
