Eliza Doolittle - In Your Hands


It's odd that a girl that just three years ago was in the top 5 of the singles and albums chart (here in the UK) now sits in a position where only 3 major (and I use major generously - Digitalspy, the Daily Star and, uh, SoSoGay) media outlets have bothered to give her sophomore effort a review. The album went on to chart at a not-terrible #25 here in October, but you'd be forgiven for never knowing it was out at all. What typified her debut was a sense of childlike fun: cute, loveable little songs like Skinny Genes and Pack Up made her stand out in a year of dance-heavy chart-toppers. This one documents a break-up (from Good Charlotte frontman Benji Madden, no less) and the ensuing recovery, and as is to be expected, some of the results are quite firmly embedded in serious, soul-searching territory.


The influences here are certainly made quite obvious: opener 'Waste of Time', and later on 'Make Up Sex', are practically screaming The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill at me. Not bad source material, but Doolittle's voice isn't quite great enough to pull it off. A little more modern, shades of Paloma Faith are heard on 'Back Packing', although listening to its lyrics I can't help but wonder if she's singing about her own bottom. 'Hush' and 'Big When I Was Little' are the album's strongest attempts at a catchy pop song but both fall somewhat short; the former rests on just the same few notes repeated amongst her desire for you to "stop talking shit", whilst the latter might've been a nice album track for Alright, Still.

Most of In Your Hands is spent building herself up again and trying to show emotional growth but single 'Let it Rain' feels more of a theatrical soliloquy than anything personal or deep. She's still able to carve a few uniquely-Doolittle moments here and there, such as the strong vocal turn on 'No Man Can' set to a lovely clapping rhythm - that said, when a song makes you think "this is a ripoff of the Hoosiers' Goodbye Mr. A" - itself a flagrant rip-off of ELO's Mr. Blue Sky - as 'Checkmate' does, you know it's not looking great.

Sentiments expressed, too, tend to come off as generic ("I'm in love with you, there's nothing I can do" on the title track), or absurd ("Sometimes I wish I was Jesus/ I'd get my Air Max on and run across the sea for you", she sighs on 'Walking on Water'), and set to the straightforward stageshow backings of the likes of 'Team Player' it does feel like I'm watching an episode of Glee at times.



The year's strongest "I guess it's nice but now I'm going to forget it ever happened" moment.

Rating: 4/10
Highlights: Big When I Was Little; Let it Rain; No Man Can; Hush; Waste of Time
Avoid: Checkmate; In Your Hands; Back Packing; Team Player; Walking on Water

Artwork Watch: Ooer.
Up next: Laura Marling  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues, a review

Image
In 2008 the Fleet Foxes launched onto the music scene with their eponymous debut, landing themselves #1 positions in end-of-year reviews from the likes of Pitchfork, The Times and Mojo. Their unique brand of baroque-fused folk struck a chord with many, and the time has now come for them to follow that success up. In May they will release 'Helplessness Blues', the title track for which they recently released as a free download. The opening track 'Montezuma' is a slow repeat of their signature sound - the version I have unfortunately riddled with a few technical glitches - a minimalist and pensive reflection on life and impending death. In dirth or in excess /Both the slave and the empress/ Will return to the dirt I guess/ Naked as when they came. There's a slight rockabilly tune to 'Bedouin Dress', a slight threat to Robin's claim that the record will be "less poppy, less upbeat and more groove-based". The groove is certainly here, a Garfunkelia
Read more

Neon Trees - Picture Show

Image
The only other time I've seen another person acknowledge the existence of Neon Trees was when a pair of Americans came to stay with my next-door neighbours. Over here they've made almost no impression at all, but Stateside the band have tapped into an unusual fanbase. Their vocal twangs might scream Tyson Ritter (All-American Rejects) but their sound is a whole lot less pop-punk. In fact, pop might be a more succinct label. Their 2010 debut album Habits might've failed to wow critics but with the aid of monstrously-catchy hit (#13) single Animal they established a pretty solid fanbase. Sure enough it was just a collection of catchy pop songs, but they are Mormons. Expecting soul from them is too much, right? Predictably, their opener 'Moving in the Dark' heads straight for the stockpile sounds - a church organ and a 1985 synth give them their foot-tapping kickstart. Innocently spouting lyrics like "Live fast, it's a feeling not an art"
Read more

Marina and the Diamonds - Electra Heart

Image
"Dr Luke is kind of at the helm of American pop music and, in the beginning, I felt really excluded from that world. I was like, “Everything sounds the same; I don’t ever want to do that.” Then Katy Perry’s people asked if I wanted to support her in America. I bought her album and I was like, “This is actually really good.” Then I bought Ke$ha’s and obviously I had Britney’s LPs already. Slowly, I changed my perspective. If you’re in a club, you don’t necessarily want to be listening to super-meaningful music, but it doesn’t take the value away from it." The idea of personas and characters in pop music predates Marina Diamandis' birth. Today, though, there are increasing signs that the ability to reinvent one's image in the most commercial sense is a cheap excuse to sell out and aim for chart stardom. Diamandis, achieving somewhat lukewarm praise for her debut record The Family Jewels despite being a collection of excellent new wave pop songs, has thus
Read more