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Product details
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Track Listings
| 1. On A Mission |
| 2. Hearts Don't Lie |
| 3. What If You Knew |
| 4. Love Me Cos You Want To |
| 5. Defender |
| 6. Robots |
| 7. Super Hot |
| 8. Boys |
| 9. Invisible Girl |
| 10. Glue |
| 11. Let Me Know |
| 12. Superman |
| 13. Sweet About Me (Twenty Ten Version) |
Product Description
Review
On paper, Gabriella Cilmi is quite the force to be reckoned with. She’s won six ARIA Awards in her native Australia and performed on the main stage at Glastonbury. But despite this, she’s known for little more than one runaway single and several ad soundtracks. Whether second album Ten will redress the balance remains to be seen, but it certainly comes with a very clear message.
Ten largely dispels the sing-along-a-Winehouse tag that she was unfairly lumped with after her 2008 airplay behemoth Sweet About Me (which, as if to prove the point, is lumped onto the end of the special edition as a reswizzed version). Yet, it’s not a complete departure: while one might expect maturity to equate to a more sophisticated, perhaps ‘older’ sound, Cilmi’s growth isn’t as evident in her material as it is in her confidence. Ten is, for the most part, assertive, brash pop with overt disco influences, but channelled through a woman stood front-and-centre, fists clenched, ready for business.
Lead single On a Mission is the archetypal Xenomania model, all tongue-in-cheek lyrics and give-away-the-farm production. However, her greatest moments seem to come via TLC maestro Dallas Austin, whose unmatchable ear for a melody provides Cilmi with perhaps her strongest material thus far.
Brandishing a plush, experienced voice far beyond her 18 years is undoubtedly key to Cilmi’s appeal, but perhaps goes some way to explaining the difficulty in nailing her niche. There are, however, a number of tracks on Ten that succeed: the melancholic synth magnificence of Love Me Cos You Want To and the 80s pseudo-ballad Glue each manages to marry youth with musicality to great effect.
But her transformation from introverted muso to slinky pop kitten – at least on the surface – means Ten still doesn’t give too a clear indication of where to place Cilmi as an artist. And while that may infuriate chronic pigeonholers, it’s also part of Ten’s beauty – it may be a mere stepping stone to something more defined in the bigger picture, but there’s an unpredictability and a talent on display that implies she knows exactly where she’s going. --Al Fox
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Like many people, I first encountered Gabriella when she was supporting Nouvelle Vague in 2008, and was blown away by her raw talent. An extrememely solid debut album, 'Lessons To Be Learned' followed, showing that she was no mere flash in the pan. Like many artists, she was faced with the dilemma of producing a copy of her successful debut or going in a different direction. 'Ten' is that different direction, following a more electro/pop template.
It begins strongly with two crackers,'On A Mission' and 'Hearts Don't Lie'. They're undeniably derivative, but pop gold nonetheless. Then everything seems to get a bit lost, only coming up for air with the cheekily sassy 'Superhot'. Many of the tracks seem to rely on Gabriella's upper register rather than the gutsy vocal she's capable of. The album ends with a bonus track, an electro reworking of 'Sweet About Me'. This is excellent, at least as good as the original and possibly better. However, the reappearance of 'Sweet About Me' presents a problem for 'Ten'. On 'Lessons To Be Learned' it was one of a number of standout tracks on a strong album; its presence here only seems to accentuate how few of the preceding tracks can hold a candle to it.
This is not to say that 'Ten' is a bad album. It's clearly aimed the current pop market and on those terms it has some success. It's at least as good as 'Hands' by Little Boots and significantly better than the La Roux debut. However, compared to Gabriella's own debut it sounds somehow... generic. When I heard 'Lessons To Be Learned' I though it was the album of an artist with some longevity. 'Ten' seems to be the album of an artist who will sell this year but be off the radar in two years' time.
I hope this isn't the case. I still think Gabriella is amazingly talented, but following the current pop herd isn't for her. It's important to remember that this is Gabriella's second album and she's not yet twenty. This is only the beginning of her career and I'm confident that she'll produce superior work in the future. However, it would be interesting to hear what she thinks of 'Ten' in ten years' time...
It begins strongly with two crackers,'On A Mission' and 'Hearts Don't Lie'. They're undeniably derivative, but pop gold nonetheless. Then everything seems to get a bit lost, only coming up for air with the cheekily sassy 'Superhot'. Many of the tracks seem to rely on Gabriella's upper register rather than the gutsy vocal she's capable of. The album ends with a bonus track, an electro reworking of 'Sweet About Me'. This is excellent, at least as good as the original and possibly better. However, the reappearance of 'Sweet About Me' presents a problem for 'Ten'. On 'Lessons To Be Learned' it was one of a number of standout tracks on a strong album; its presence here only seems to accentuate how few of the preceding tracks can hold a candle to it.
This is not to say that 'Ten' is a bad album. It's clearly aimed the current pop market and on those terms it has some success. It's at least as good as 'Hands' by Little Boots and significantly better than the La Roux debut. However, compared to Gabriella's own debut it sounds somehow... generic. When I heard 'Lessons To Be Learned' I though it was the album of an artist with some longevity. 'Ten' seems to be the album of an artist who will sell this year but be off the radar in two years' time.
I hope this isn't the case. I still think Gabriella is amazingly talented, but following the current pop herd isn't for her. It's important to remember that this is Gabriella's second album and she's not yet twenty. This is only the beginning of her career and I'm confident that she'll produce superior work in the future. However, it would be interesting to hear what she thinks of 'Ten' in ten years' time...
15 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Gabriella Cilmi was for me the finest new vocal talent for many years when she first emerged with the fabulous 'Sweet About Me', by some distance the best single of 2008. The comparisons with Amy Winehouse - albeit from a purer pop perspective - were well merited and the two together seemed to augur a bright new future for pop. The debut album LESSONS TO BE LEARNED, in particular in its expanded form, was an exercise in catchy, highly listenable, superbly crafted pop, all delivered with youthful assuredness, a bit of danger and a voice to die for. It was also somehow different, with almost an old-school approach to writing and arrangement, and all in all a terrific first outing from an artist who seemed certain to be one of the important names in years to come.
After a two year wait, the follow-up is finally released - but what a major disappointment it is. In an apparent effort to chart a radically different course from that brilliant debut, gone are all the elements that made it great, giving way to insipid electro devoid of any memorable tunes or even hooks. Even more sadly, that superb voice is lost completely in the mix and really this could be anyone. All the defining features of the first album are gone, leaving us with a non-descript set that sounds just like a million other artists on the scene today. Even the inclusion of yet another version of 'Sweet About Me' at the end does little to improve matters.
I really had high hopes for this CD, but this is far, far from what I expected. The lack of quality, memorable songs will quickly render it a dead duck and I really don't see much commercial success coming unless she gets back to her true sound. This is not the Gabriella I want, and anyone considering buying in anticipation of more great things should have a listen first.
After a two year wait, the follow-up is finally released - but what a major disappointment it is. In an apparent effort to chart a radically different course from that brilliant debut, gone are all the elements that made it great, giving way to insipid electro devoid of any memorable tunes or even hooks. Even more sadly, that superb voice is lost completely in the mix and really this could be anyone. All the defining features of the first album are gone, leaving us with a non-descript set that sounds just like a million other artists on the scene today. Even the inclusion of yet another version of 'Sweet About Me' at the end does little to improve matters.
I really had high hopes for this CD, but this is far, far from what I expected. The lack of quality, memorable songs will quickly render it a dead duck and I really don't see much commercial success coming unless she gets back to her true sound. This is not the Gabriella I want, and anyone considering buying in anticipation of more great things should have a listen first.
Format:Audio CD
She's an odd one isn't she Gabriella? She makes the kind of music that I would not normally listen to. After the excellent first album, she made 10, with a change of direction which would have been disappointing were this album not so good. The music has some very good tunes, and is mainly disco and dance. It reminds me at times of Goldfrapp. But the thing that makes this album special, just like the first one, is Gabriella. Her voice carries that special something that makes each song eminently listenable. Highly recommended.
It's only a matter of time before the cognoscenti start going on about how good a singer Gabriella is.
It's only a matter of time before the cognoscenti start going on about how good a singer Gabriella is.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
motivational cd
A superb album - all of the tracks are great to listen and sing along to.
Whilst driving along, this is easy listening yet energising at the same time. Read more
Whilst driving along, this is easy listening yet energising at the same time. Read more
Published 9 months ago by JP
The More You Listen, The More Addicted You Get
The beautiful and talented Gabriella Cilmi returns to the scene with her second album release "Ten" and it blows me away! Read more
Published 9 months ago by Donald
GABRIELLA CILMI - TEN
The first time I played this I was slightly disappointed, as it was miles apart from her debut album in that Ten is relentlessly "Pop music" in style. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Mr. A. Klaar
Groovy!
An excellent, fun-filled, uplifting album with some cracking songs and intelligent lyrics. 'Defender' and 'Robots' are especially noteworthy.
Published 20 months ago by T. Dar
Wow
Australian singer, Gabriella Cilmi, famous for 2008 single, "Sweet about Me" has released new album "Ten" with some massive changes. Read more
Published 22 months ago by J. Rimmer
On A Mission
I have always known of Gabriella Cilmi and liked her but I haven't bought Lessons To Be Learned. While I liked "On a Mission" it didn't spur me to buy the album as it takes a while... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Mark Foy
Music
This is a very good CD, if you are a fan of hers you won't be disappointed.
Published on 30 May 2010 by Mrs. K. L. Rohleder
Gabriella Cilmi - Ten
You can tell a good album, when you like all the tunes on it. Ten is this type of album. Downloading it from the amazon website was quick and simple. Read more
Published on 27 April 2010 by Elizabeth Deeming
"A New Side Gabriella Cilmi, More Electro Pop"
another has got the 'gaga' sound (electro-pop)
gabriella has ditched the soul/pop/funk/jazz/r&b pop and followed lady gaga's type of sound electro-pop
its very... Read more
gabriella has ditched the soul/pop/funk/jazz/r&b pop and followed lady gaga's type of sound electro-pop
its very... Read more
Published on 7 April 2010 by Shawn
Gabriella Cilmi 'Reinvented', but sadly not on par with "Lessons to be...
So here it is - "Ten" - The eagerly awaited second album from Gabriella Cilmi.
Like many of Gabriella's fans, I was blown away by the first album "Lessons To Be Learned"... Read more
Like many of Gabriella's fans, I was blown away by the first album "Lessons To Be Learned"... Read more
Published on 7 April 2010 by C. P. Whiting
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