CtJester
10 Jun 2003, 11:10 PM
Ok, I know she doesn't necessarily fit under the 'alternative' umbrella much anymore (especially after the Eurythmics 'Peace' effort), but I just have to review this one.
I would've tackled Radiohead, but EVERYONE'S getting Radiohead, and I believe that *gasp* Annie's got a better record. A MUCH better record....
So...... Annie Lennox - 'Bare' (4.5 out of 5 cheese doodles)
I'm so glad that when it comes to Annie's solo career, she takes her time. 8 years to be exact, since the last of her recordings 'Medusa'. And this time around, it's all original material again, unlike 'Medusa'.
Now, this review may be a little biased, I'll admit. I've always been a fan of the Eurythmics. I've loved a lot of their works from 'Love Is A Stranger' up through their last album 'Peace' (which I feel didn't work, but was a nice effort none-the-less). You know you're a fan of a band when you site obscure songs of theirs as favorites ('I Love To (Listen To Beethoven)' being one of mine). But sometimes, problems can arise when you separate parts from a whole. Only, this time, the opposite becomes true.
This album does, in some ways, harkens back to Lennox's 'Diva'. In others, it turns tail 180 degrees and runs for the hills. The first thing you'll notice about the collection of songs here is how fitting the title is. 'Bare' not only describes the collection of songs (mostly mid-tempo tunes and ballads), but it also describes the emotions that are expressed (very much to the point). It's a collection of solace and solitude, of understanding and denial. It's not a work dedicated to making you think, instead it makes you feel.
Even the image on the album's cover is like a slap in the face of 'Diva'. Instead of a radiant peacock of a showgirl, you get a ghostly visage in a studded collar. So it's only fitting that the track on the album do the same. Starting with the glorious retort to 'Why' called 'A Thousand Beautiful Things' leading all the way through to 'Oh God (Prayer)', the album is filled with songs that are like layers of paint on a canvas with each emotion being a new color.
Highlights of the album are all mostly understated songs. You'll be hard pressed to come up with a catchy ditty like 'Walking On Broken Glass' or 'Little Bird' here. As a matter of fact, the closest thing to up tempo is 'Bitter Pill', which sounds like a riff on (believe it or not) Mary J Blige's 'Family Affair'. And that's a strangely GOOD thing.
But, it's the ballads that are terrific. Songs like 'The Hurting Time', 'Loneliness', and 'Pavement Cracks' are all wonderful in their expressions pain and poignancy (from 'Loneliness': When I call your name, I'm going to scream out loud. I'll say, 'Here I am standing in the crowd.'. You'll say, 'Come to me with your open mind. You never know what you still might find.' But you keep me here like a cancelled flight, an empty train, running through the night.)
It may sound hokey at first, but it's the conviction with which she sings that gives the words meaning and life, like she's been through it all before.
I know this music isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I figure, why have a glass of Lipton when I could be drinking Earl Grey? And in this case, it's a grande Earl Grey.
-ct 'the language is leaving me' jester
I would've tackled Radiohead, but EVERYONE'S getting Radiohead, and I believe that *gasp* Annie's got a better record. A MUCH better record....
So...... Annie Lennox - 'Bare' (4.5 out of 5 cheese doodles)
I'm so glad that when it comes to Annie's solo career, she takes her time. 8 years to be exact, since the last of her recordings 'Medusa'. And this time around, it's all original material again, unlike 'Medusa'.
Now, this review may be a little biased, I'll admit. I've always been a fan of the Eurythmics. I've loved a lot of their works from 'Love Is A Stranger' up through their last album 'Peace' (which I feel didn't work, but was a nice effort none-the-less). You know you're a fan of a band when you site obscure songs of theirs as favorites ('I Love To (Listen To Beethoven)' being one of mine). But sometimes, problems can arise when you separate parts from a whole. Only, this time, the opposite becomes true.
This album does, in some ways, harkens back to Lennox's 'Diva'. In others, it turns tail 180 degrees and runs for the hills. The first thing you'll notice about the collection of songs here is how fitting the title is. 'Bare' not only describes the collection of songs (mostly mid-tempo tunes and ballads), but it also describes the emotions that are expressed (very much to the point). It's a collection of solace and solitude, of understanding and denial. It's not a work dedicated to making you think, instead it makes you feel.
Even the image on the album's cover is like a slap in the face of 'Diva'. Instead of a radiant peacock of a showgirl, you get a ghostly visage in a studded collar. So it's only fitting that the track on the album do the same. Starting with the glorious retort to 'Why' called 'A Thousand Beautiful Things' leading all the way through to 'Oh God (Prayer)', the album is filled with songs that are like layers of paint on a canvas with each emotion being a new color.
Highlights of the album are all mostly understated songs. You'll be hard pressed to come up with a catchy ditty like 'Walking On Broken Glass' or 'Little Bird' here. As a matter of fact, the closest thing to up tempo is 'Bitter Pill', which sounds like a riff on (believe it or not) Mary J Blige's 'Family Affair'. And that's a strangely GOOD thing.
But, it's the ballads that are terrific. Songs like 'The Hurting Time', 'Loneliness', and 'Pavement Cracks' are all wonderful in their expressions pain and poignancy (from 'Loneliness': When I call your name, I'm going to scream out loud. I'll say, 'Here I am standing in the crowd.'. You'll say, 'Come to me with your open mind. You never know what you still might find.' But you keep me here like a cancelled flight, an empty train, running through the night.)
It may sound hokey at first, but it's the conviction with which she sings that gives the words meaning and life, like she's been through it all before.
I know this music isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I figure, why have a glass of Lipton when I could be drinking Earl Grey? And in this case, it's a grande Earl Grey.
-ct 'the language is leaving me' jester