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Album Reviews
In every country where he climbed into the Top Ten -- whether it was his native Canada, the U.K., various territories in Europe, or the U.S., where he was helped enormously by being featured on American Idol -- Daniel Powter had his breakthrough hit with "Bad Day," a loping, sunny tune that pretty much has the opposite sentiment of its title. It's a good signature song, encapsulating everything charming and slightly irritating about the singer/songwriter: it's effortlessly, even incandescently, melodic, immediately working its way into the subconscious, where it will never leave (at least not for a good week or so), and it's given an artful contemporary production, which is classic enough to place Powter and his hooks in the forefront, yet it's dressed with just enough modern touches in its rolling rhythms, keyboards, and guitars so it doesn't sound retro. That song is the template for the rest of his debut, Daniel Powter, and while there's nothing quite as grabbing as that tune, there's nothing alienating, either, which is not only to Powter's credit, but to that of his producer, Mitchell Froom. Best known for his fussy, elaborately arty productions for such '90s adult alternative mainstays as Crowded House, los Lobos, Richard Thompson, and Suzanne Vega, Froom retains his mastery of the studio but abandons his affectations here, turning Daniel Powter into an AAA record that simply sounds appealing. And that word pretty much describes Powter himself, particularly when he's doing melodic midtempo pop like "Bad Day," which is just often enough to make this record quite likeable. Not that he always has perfect pitch here -- when it comes to ballads, he has a bit of a tin ear, turning toward the sappy, and he has an unfortunate tendency to slide into Jamiriquoi-styled lite funk (very lite funk), plus his words tend to fall apart into a series of trite clichés if they're inspected too closely. Nevertheless, as a record -- as a series of expertly produced, expertly recorded adult pop tunes -- Daniel Powter is a debut that's easy to enjoy, thanks to Powter's melodic skills and sweet voice, both reminiscent of a less idiosyncratic, streamlined Elton John. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Track Listing
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Girls Sugababes |
| By roping in credible producers such as Richard X and peppering their songs with up to the minute electro touches, Sugababes have managed to create songs that appealed as much to the cynical music press as it did to teenage girls. Throw in a revolving door line up and a media fascination with the bands perceived moodiness and you have a recipe for the most successful girl band of the new millennium. However on "Girls", a cover of Ernie K-Does early R&B classic "Here Comes The Girls", The "Babes" lack any of the inventiveness that made singles such as "Freak Like Me" and "Push The Button" so enjoyable. As countless artists have proved over the years, there's nothing wrong with uncovering a hidden gem and putting your own spin on things; Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" springs to mind as a good example. However, you can't help thinking that The Sugababes' producers have hardly been "diggin' in the crates" to uncover "Here Come The Girls" since it has been used extensively by Boots over the last couple of years to sell beauty products. Throw in a few predictable Mark Ronson style horn riffs and you have a sub Atomic Kitten mess that tarnishes a lot of the bands efforts to be taken seriously. | |
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