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Product Description
Review
The word "haunting" is common as gossip in pop criticism – wont to tag everything from Phil Collins' chocolate flogger In the Air Tonight to the Eminem murder ballad that references it, Stan. But there's really no other word to describe the record that gave Birdy wings. Released back in January, her voice-and-piano cover of Bon Iver's Skinny Love, as economical as it is evocative, became a Radio 1 favourite and unexpected top 20 hit.
Since then, the 15-year-old from Hampshire – Jasmine Van den Bogaerde to her form tutor – has stripped back songs by The xx (Shelter) and Cherry Ghost (People Help the People), setting the template for this debut album. Here, she tackles so many Pitchfork favourites – Phoenix's 1901, The National's Terrible Love, Fleet Foxes' White Winter Hymnal – that it's tempting to speculate whether Foals politely declined when she asked to cover Spanish Sahara. Of course, even the hippest indie kid dips into daddy's soft rock collection when he's not looking, which is presumably why Fire & Rain by James Taylor – the oldest song here by three decades – also appears.
For its 11 tracks, a trio of knob-twiddlers as trendy as the track selection – Jim Abbiss (Arctic Monkeys), Rich Costey (Franz Ferdinand) and James Ford (Klaxons) – keep things intimate and slightly shivery. However, many songs boast a more robust production than Skinny Love; Birdy's piano chords are often cloaked in an alluring veil of reverberation, and embellished with strings, vocal overdubs and even a few drum loops. However, when the record threatens to stray into MOR territory, it’s set straight by Birdy's vocals, as pure and emotionally resonant as teardrops trickling down unblemished skin.
Does this teenage siren really appreciate the lyrics she's singing, mostly written by men twice her age? That's a matter of conjecture, but the LP's sole original – an ambiguous break-up song called Without a Word – suggests her emotional intensity is no pose. Either way, it's hard not to declare the record an admittedly limited success – what’s here points to a brighter future for Birdy than the last British female to pique curiosity with a clever covers set. Besides, at 15, she already seems far too self-possessed to make an ass of herself at the Brit Awards. --Nick Levine
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CD Description
Birdy (real name, Jasmine van den Bogaerde) releases her eponymous debut, featuring her unique interpretation of songs by Bon Iver, Cherry Ghost, Phoenix, The National, The Postal Service and The xx. Birdy has recorded the album in the UK and US and worked with some of the hottest producers in the industry including Rich Costey (Muse, TV on the Radio), James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Last Shadow Puppets and Klaxons) and Jim Abbiss (Adele, Arctic Monkeys).
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pleasantly Surprised,
By
This review is from: Birdy (Audio CD)
I must admit, I was slightly disappointed when I first listened to this album. What initially drew me to Birdy was the stark simplicity of her singles, which have mostly consisted of just vocals and paino. In the album, I felt that the producers had added far too much backing music, almost to the point of drowning her out.However, on subsequent listens, I noticed something: in its own way, the music is just as ethereal as her voice - and, as such, complements her perfectly. Most of the tracks are indie-rock covers - Francis & the Lights, Fleet Foxes, the National - to which Birdy has added her characteristic haunting edge. The whole thing has a ghostly beauty which is deeply relaxing to listen to. She has only one self-penned track on this album - Without a Word - which, considering her age, is absolutely phenomenal. For those who criticise based on this alone, I think you're being unnecessarily harsh: Birdy is hardly equivalent to the manufactured pop acts spewed out of X-factor. Her choice of covers reveals her maturity and individual taste - she's not reproducing unoriginal versions of mainstream pop songs, after all - and she's been writing her own songs since she was 7. I think this girl is definitely going places. Overall, a surprising but gorgeous album.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
what a beautiful voice,
By
This review is from: Birdy (Audio CD)
I have to say i'm a little disappointed how her wonderful voice is trumed by the loud instruments. still a 5 start album because of her amazing voice. Her youtube channel has her acoustic versions and it's to die for. Absolutely beautiful
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Promising - But Good Too,
By
This review is from: Birdy (Audio CD)
This is interesting for so many reasons: another female vocal at a time of such sweet saturation [Feist, Camille, Florence Welch, Phoebe Killdeer to name a few]; appearing first on youtube and within the contemporary public infatuation for promo-rich, X-Factoresque ratification - attained with bells on at 7 million clicks for her version of Bon Iver's 'Skinny Love', and aged only 15, her youth adds to the overall mystique and excitement that announces this new artist and release.Jasmine Van den Bogaerde [aka Birdy and already packaged according to a requisite twee appellation] certainly possesses a powerful, pure voice. The 14 tracks on this debut album do occasionally contain over-dubs and layerings, but generally the production - from a stellar cast of participants, by all accounts - foregrounds the vocal. I feel my age when of these 14 tracks I really only know two well: Fleet Foxes' 'White Winter Hymnal' - from a band who themselves timewarp sounds from the 70s - and James Taylor's 'Fire and Water', which suggests Birdy has been dipping into the grandparents' vinyl. Or she's taken some astute advice on appealing to the genuinely mass market. I wasn't aware of the 7 million youtube audience appeal and accolade until reading recent and overall most favourable reviews, especially from the quality newspapers who can articulate with sharp tongues or approving sagacity, the latter reigning at the moment. Most confirm a promising start and future, and on my first tentative listen I would agree. 'Skinny Love' definitely reveals a strong and emotive vocal. 'People Help The People' also places the vocal up front and knowing, though I wouldn't characterise it as distinctive which is a clear nitpick within the obvious excellence - but that links back to the reality of needing to establish an identity within a market of extremely strong female voices. Especially when the youth vote wanes. 'Terrible Love' is a song that almost gets lost within the over-production of strings accompaniment, but the singing does hold its own which says much for Birdy's incipient vocal presence. A good aural test for me is the Taylor version. It's sound enough and what stands out - as it seemingly should - is that clear, confident vocal, and that is where the current and only 'problem' exists: that this track is as solid, but not necessarily different and distinctive from all the other strong tracks. Again, as many reviewers have already noted, self-penned 'Without a Word' reveals enough promise for the future to make this release exciting and significant.
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