Today's iTunes Purchases: 11/29/05


It's about singers today

This week's free single was Scandalous by American Idol Season #3 diva, La Toya London. If you want to rad repeated reviews of London's singing and performing you can certainly check out my American Idol recaps. The short story is that I always thought London was technically very proficient as a singer, but had no individuality and certainly no discernible emotional connection to what she was singing. This single does nothing to change that opinion. The song has a Tom-tom Club groove, if not the sample, so the whole song does come off as a bit of a poor man's Mariah Carey single. I certainly like London's voice more on a laidback, flexible song like this, rather than hard core diva belting. She has a pretty tone and easily trips around the melody. But there's really nothing unique or individual about her sound. If you heard this on the radio you couldn't quite place who it was. That's not the worst crime in the world, but it's not motivating me to invest in her album.

The second single I bought this week was from Beth Orton, called Conceived. Orton has a voice that you immediately identify...with that slightly world weary tone. The song has a lovely string arrangement, and an upbeat and uplifting tempo. It really feels like a song that should have come out in the summer. It could have been that relaxing summer song for the slightly older alternative set. Think Summertime by the Sundays, but with Orton's gravitas rather than Harriet Wheeler's girlishness.

Album purchase #1 also has reality TV roots, as I couldn't resist picking up the new INXS album, Switch , featuring new singer JD Fortune. If you read my recaps of the TV show from which JD was plucked you'll note that I was never a fan of his. I thought his talent didn't live up to his arrogance, and that he mostly was just trying to imitate Michael Hutchence (and no too well.) I also really didn't care for his "single" Pretty Vegas, which they performed incessantly on the show, and which is of course on the album.

All that being said, this isn't a bad album. A lot of Hutchence's appeal was his personality/stage presence, as much as his voice. So when listening to an album, and one where the singer sounds very similar, it's less glaring than when watching them. A few too many songs are in the Pretty Vegas vein, like Devil's Party and Hot Girls (well, can't you tell from the song titles?) The album is definitely a bit retro, meaning evoking the bands of my 80's youth. Afterglow sounds a bit like Simple Minds. Perfect Strangers sounds a bit like ABC. I could go on. Nice add to the album, a duet with JD's fellow Rock Star: INXS contestant Suzie McNeill on God's Top 10. It's a bit of a Coldplay rip-off, but a good tune and sounds a bit more "now" than much of the album.

I'd have to say that this album will likely be enjoyable for those who like INXS, but might not win them new fans or update their fan base.

My final purchase this week was Shakira's 2nd English language album, Oral Fixation Vol. 2. I totally give Shakira her props. She is a fine, throaty singer who embraces her own natural sound, complete with her occasional Alanis and Tori affectations. She writes her own stuff, and even in her English language albums (of which this is the second) she brings in enough of the flavor of her Spanish-language albums to keep her from sounding too mainstream and homogenized.Still, I have to admit that she also reminds me of the English-language work of Mark Anthony...sometimes it's better not to really understand what they're saying! But she covers a wide range of topics, from the low self-esteem that even someone like Shakira can experience to the political situation in Timor. There's also an obligatory collaboration with Santana.

If I were you I'd go through this one song by song and see which ones make your ears perk up.

Posted: Fri - December 2, 2005 at 02:43 PM       EmailFeedback

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