Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A change, yes - but is it for the better?, 29 Oct 2007
Well, no.
Having listened to this, Delta Goodrem's third studio album, I find myself yearning for the Delta of old; the Delta who produced intelligent, piano-driven music which was unmistakably her own. I am not for one minute suggesting that her music should never evolve, but such a state of affairs would have been preferable to the regression which seems to have occured on 'Delta'.
Most of this album, unfortuately, consists of derivitive, bland and sometimes lazy pop music. The songs are largely uninspired and formulaic - so much so that they could have been sung by anyone with only half of Delta's vocal talent - and the arrangements are mostly synthesized and unsatisfying. When given chance to shine, Delta's voice is as excellent as ever, but sometimes becomes a victim of over-production. Songs such as 'God Laughs' and 'Bare Hands' are simply poor album-fillers, while even slightly better songs like 'You Will Only Break My Heart' and 'One Day' would have failed to find their way onto previous albums.
Songs that I like on this album include 'The Guardian', 'In This Life', 'Woman' and 'Possessionless'. I would like to pick more, but I find it hard to enthuse about many of the others. For me, this is such an unusual state of affairs - there is hardly a song I don't like on Delta's two previous releases.
Delta is a fantastic singer and songwriter, who has written and co-written some great music - songs such as 'Lost Without You', 'Mistaken Identity', 'Innocent Eyes' and 'Electric Storm' spring to mind. The songs on 'Delta' are not in the same league. They are, on the whole, a waste of her talents. I give 'Delta' two stars because Delta does deliver an excellent vocal performance, and because I hope the album will grow on me.
I also hope that Delta ditches these songwriters and gets back to the piano, where she has so-often excelled in the past.
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Different but still good!, 18 April 2008
Unlike previous albums where I instantly liked 90% of the songs, this one took a little more getting used to, but that doesn't make it any worse than Deltas previous work!
Make sure you listen to it more than once before passing judgement on the CD! There is still a lot of the original style in there, it's just less obvious. It's clear she's going through an experimental phase and trying something different, where there is less focus on the piano, more of a catchy beat, and possibly a bit more has gone into the words of the songs.
It is a different kind of album compared to what fans are used to from Delta, but different isn't necessarily bad! Give it a try for yourself and make up your own mind like I did!
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8 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Delta flops with third offering, 1 Nov 2007
I agree with the above review
I've given it a few listens full through and a couple of times working slowly through the tracks and I'm afraid to say I really don't like it.
I just think In This Life was so misleading as a first single... it suggested delta had given her old sound a more rocky edge and that she had simply updated her sound. No doubts, it is a crackingly good song and had hit written all over it..it was the obvious first single.. it's so catchy and well executed, the melody is infectious and memorable, the lyrics meaningful and delta's voice sounds great.
It's just a shame the rest of the album doesn't continue in this vein. In This Life, Brave Face and One Day are the only songs I really like. They sound edgier than her older stuff and are a definite progression but as for the rest...
Well, I find the rest of the tracks really forgettable and plodding. The beats in the songs seem to make the songs drift along in mid-tempo. They aren't fast enough to be energetic and upbeat, they aren't slow enough to be proper ballads. I know lots of u like these new songs but they just don't do it for me.
Believe Again: I can't see what all the fuss is about.. it's nice enough, has good lyrics but it just seems to plod on forever.. I know it's the next single but it definitely will have to be remixed to become much catchier than this version. It's not the worst of these more pop orientated songs but I definitely think it's a poor choice for album opener, in this life would have been better choice. A near 6 minute track that seems to drift on and on isn't great for grabbing the listeners attention. As for single choice? Maybe in Australia it'll do well because she has a strong fanbase there but I can't see this faring well elsewhere, especially in uk/ Ireland.. it just doesn't grab your attention like a single needs to, I can't see radio over here picking up this.
In This Life: Brilliant! I see why it was chosen as lead single, it's great, very catchy. But I think if delta really wants to change her image and sound so much this time around, it would have been more appropriate and honest of her to be brave enough to opt for Believe Again or something else in her new style as lead single.. it would have given a better representation of the album... this doesn't fit well with the other tracks on the album because it sounds closer to her older stuff. I kinda feel like some record label suits asked her to come up with this track to be a crowd pleaser and to get her existing fans to buy the new album. Cynical, I know. But this track is so different to the others, it isn't a fair representation of the album. I love it though!
Possessionless: Like Believe Again, I feel this plods on. The beats aren't fast enough to make it catchy and memorable. This is my main problem with the album. It just drifts over u, its just bland, smacks of album filler, the production and general sound are hardly exciting. If delta wants to be more pop, she needs to find a new niche, a new unique sound, look at nelly furtado, u know 1 of her songs when u hear it, because she came back with something fresh, exciting, something that sounded different to anything else on the radio at the time(although bloody timbaland has overexposed himself since!!). Mainstream pop is hard to do, to be successful, u have to stand out, sound unique, anyone could have done this track. Lyrically, I think this is great though. I think her lyrics are great on the album (in general), it's the music I don't care for.
God Laughs: What a disappointment! And this is one of Sony's guraranteed "four massive hit singles" from the album that they raved about in August. I can't see this doing well at radio or charting well. First off, it falls into the same trap as much of Mistaken Idenity did.. it's too personal, I know divorce and the pain of it are universal but the lyrics are too specific about her own parents and stuff, she did this on Mistaken Identity and it means the track can't be something that most people can readily relate to. Too self conscious. Delta said she didn't want a complicated album, she wanted to make a positive album that everyone could relate too. This doesn't work with this in mind. As for the music, this plods along again. Not catchy or memorable.
You Will Only Break My Heart: When I first heard it, hated it. But I gotta admit, it catchy. My only gripe is by doing pop like this that veers so close to bubble gum variety, she is boxing herself in careerwise. This sort of song won't be remembered long after it has charted. I'm sure this will be a single choice, it's obvious.. it one of very few catchy numbers on album. But it doesn't match the sophisticated pop of her past albums.
The Guardian: I kinda like this , I could take it or leave it though.. it nothing special. This is the track her A&R guys got her in france. It's ok. Nothing too memorable, similar to her older stuff, but I'm sure delta could have written a ballad by herself just as good. The arrangement suffers the same as rest of album, plods on. I know people said Mistaken Identity was too dark, heavy. Lyrically, yes but musically, the tracks were mostly up tempo and catchy and memorable. This album may be more lyrically upbeat but the music is so dull and lifeless.
Bare Hands: it starts with synths like Usher's yeah, then it gets going in this new plodding beat sound she has taken on. the lyrics are so good, shame the music not up to much. It's just another track that screams filler. It simply goes nowhere.
Woman: Oh dear. I find this so corny. The lyrics are so mundane and the chorus is dreadful. The music is dreary too.. but without the new beats sound. Simply isn't good enough for an album. I really wonder were the other tracks that didn't make the album dumped because they like her old stuff, and they opted for stuff like this because they think it's progressive. This certainly Is forgettable. I don't know why delta claimed she struggled to find ballads for the album.. tracks 1,6,8,9,12 are definitely what I call ballads. May not be typical big ballads that build up to finish but these are all slow enough to be ballads.
I Can't Break It To My Heart: Another bloody slow song (minus plodding rnb style beats). Traditional ballad, sounds like your average ballad, Nothing special. The music is not as complex or as memorable as on her previous ballads like Born To Try or Out of The Blue.
Brave Face: Finally, a song I like. The music is more organic with instruments and the drum is forceful and gives the song pace and energy that her beat ridden other tracks lack.
This sound is more mature than stuff like possessionless, you will only break my heart etc.
One Day: Catchy, I love the guitar riff. Just goes to show she doesn't have to stick to piano all the time or pop up her music with trendy rnb beats to write a catchy and memorable song.
Angels in The Room: The only thing this album has in common with the others is it ends in a piano focused slow ballad. Soulful and meaningful, ends it on nice note but like her other album closers, not very catchy, soothing though.
Overall, personally, I'm disappointed with this album. It sounds more like a debut. She seems to have taken the criticism of Mistaken Identity and done a complete u-turn, the majority of the songs sound like they were popped up with rnb beats and stuff to make them more appealing to a wider audience but good pop is hard to do. It has to be unique. A lot of these songs could have been done by anyone,
On the positives, her voice sounds at its best. The lyrics are generally better quality and positive and more relatable. But sadly, it's the music and production that let her down. Nothing memorable in the arrangements. I'm sure she'll continue to be successful in australia. But I seriously doubt this is the album that will break her in the U.S or re-establish her in Europe. Maybe In This Life will fare well if it first single worldwide but that's the point, an album of more of this sound would have been far better for her career worldwide than this watered down, mid tempo sluggish pop stuff she has delivered. I'll be very surprised if she has more hits than In this Life outside of australia. I'm not meaning to be overly critical but I just don't see her doing well with this quality of an album. Critics in Uk and Ireland slammed her before for being bland and not taking more risks with her sound(like Tori Amos), but this sort of pop may be risky for delta but we've all heard this stuff before, it's standard pop album filler (musically not lyrically). I really wish she hadn't gone down this route .. Maybe next time delta.
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