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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Searingly emotional with a soaring voice, 26 Oct 2007
Songs of mass destruction
Has it been a dark road that has carried Annie Lennox all the way from the new wave pop of the 80s Eurythmics to a stellar solo career? Well there may have been some somber moments and dark corners but Songs of Mass Destruction (SOMD) in spite of its somewhat depressing and prophetic title, offers a lot of variety, the whole encapsulated in Lennox's beautiful, soaring voice. Many commentators rightly state that this is the best instrument in the piece.
SOMD opens with the single, Dark Road, which amply demonstrates Annie's range. It is dark but at the same time rich in tonal quality and provides the listener with an indication of the quality still to come. If you love Annie's voice, you will love Dark Road and Through the glass darkly.
Next comes Love is Blind a joyous piece of pop that Annie belts out and which also includes a very enjoyable rap.
Then, getting a little deeper into the tangled and powerful emotions that surround a breakup comes the slow burner "Smithereens." At first it seems like a less interesting track but then begins to grow on the listener with repeated listens. It is now a favourite.
Ghosts in my machine kicks the tempo back up again and has an infectious chorus that the listener wants to sing along to, addresses imperfect humanity, which is a general theme of the album overall and leads to Womankind which flies the feminist banner high, again offers a slice of rap and is something that you will want to or can't help singing along to, whether man or woman!
Through the glass darkly is a soaring ballad that underlines the pain of emotional despair and fully showcases Annie's wonderful voice. Many have said that the album is worth its price for this track alone. Lost is also powerfully sung and has become one of my favourites on the disc. I love the layered vocals and the high notes that Annie reaches.
Sing is OK and is similar to a chant with African accents and an announcement at its start that the song has been created to support a charity trying to prevent Mother-Child transmission of AIDS/HIV, a worthwhile cause to support. Annie's voice outshines and outpowers the chorus of "equals."
Big Sky is a big interesting ballad and Fingernail Moon rounds the set off in a reflective frame of mind having a very relaxing feel to it and adventuresome lyrics.
Annie has done a good job in SOMD and I am looking forward to her next.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Certainly a dark road - I need more time to find the light., 22 Nov 2007
Listening to "Dark Road", the opening track of the album, I thought it was amazing. The lyrics were intelligent and instantly stirred something in my soul, and the music perfectly captured the mood. However, once I began listening to the rest of the album, I slowly became slightly more and more disappointed.
While it cannot be denied that Annie has an incredible voice, this is nothing without songs to stand up against it. Although the majority of the remaining tracks failed to grab me in the same way as "Dark Road", I am still holding out hope for learning to love SONGS OF MASS DESTRUCTION.
"Fingernail Moon", the closing song, is my other favourite. It seems that Annie has put her two best songs at the very beginning and the very end of her work.
"Smithereens" is also a good song - the opening to it features beautiful piano and the lyrics are strong.
"Womankind" is the next notable song. It is more upbeat than the others that I have listed, so there seems to be more energy to it along with perhaps more hope than some of the others.
While I would not say that this is a bad album, I cannot find it in me to say that it is sensational either. Maybe with time I shall learn to love some of the other tracks, but at the moment there are only a handful that have struck a part deep within me.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Some grand songs about worldweariness and strength, but an uneven album, 15 Oct 2007
Not only the title of Annie Lennox's new album - her fourth solo release in 15 years - reflects the Scottish singer's increasing political activism in recent years. The songs themselves bear the brand marks of recent social tragedies and her growing disillusionment with humanity: 'Sing' - on which she is accompanied by 25 female singers from Beth Orton to Madonna to Dido to the Sugababes - sends a clear political message for better prevention of mother-to-child transmission of the HIV/AIDS virus (she has also set up a website for the cause: annielennoxsing.com). Other songs seem to reflect her politics in a more subtle way. The post 9/11 fear of terrorism and the accompanying sense of social alienation find expression, for example, on 'Lost' - the best track on the album by far - where "the sound of the planes in the night", "those murderous drums" and "the marching of footsteps" resound to unsettling effect. Something menacing seems to lurk in 'Smithereens', too - the very title recalls the damage of lives blasted apart - "It seems that you / have cause to worry / It seems that you / don't wish me well."
Yet in spite of the gloomy subject matter, the mood is surprisingly defiant and strong. The paths she presents are not just dark roads or of ghosts trapped hauntingly in her machine. Already on the opening track, she announces proudly "I look at that open road / I'm gonna walk there by myself". Also, unashamed romanticism surfaces on 'Coloured Bedspread': "We make the stars collide / I touch the planets / Through your eyes". With Glen Ballard producing at the helm - of Alanis Morissette and Dave Matthews Band fame - the sound is softer and more MOR than has perhaps been the case with Lennox in the past. But he is restrained enough to let her huge voice (which is as passionate and full of throttle as always) take centre stage.
I have to say that some of the tracks, however, don't work for me. 'Sing' has very well-meaning political intentions and the African AIDS crisis certainly needs as much attention as possible, but as music the song is, for me personally, pretty unlistenable. Its clarion call to the sisterhood to unite ("C'mon my sisters now! / Sing loud and sing proud!") recycles the most clichéd banners of 1980s feminism; its approach is somehow embarrassingly outdated ("What won't kill you will make you strong, yeah!"). 'Womankind' is another example of a rather out-of-fashion sound and lyrics: "This is for the womankind / Check it out!", she sings. But one song in particular lifts itself effortlessly above the occasionally patchy material: 'Lost' is a genuine masterpiece. The personal and political are intertwined to brilliant effect on this emotionally transparent ballad. Its politics circle in the orbit of emotion and not the other way around, culminating in Lennox mournfully wailing "we're lost" in the sweeping refrain. Having portrayed the cruelty in the war-torn world and her revulsion from the direction that humanity is taking, Lennox ultimately sees the darkness streaming not only from outer causes but also from within. The cathartic power and grand emotion of 'Lost' is sure to deafen out any critical voices on this very welcome comeback.
Best tracks: 'Lost', 'Dark Road', 'Smithereens', 'Fingernail Moon', 'Through the Glass Darkly'
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