Amazon.co.uk Review
Everything but the Girl have always taken a languid approach to their music, but they were at their most sublime on
Idlewild. Produced by the duo's own Ben Watt, the music is stripped down to the bare minimum--a rhythm, a melody and Tracy Thorn's divine voice--yet somehow they make it feel lush. Some of EBTG's most affecting songs are on Idlewild: Thorn's adolescent reminiscence in "Oxford Street"; "The Night I Heard Caruso Sing", Watt's ode to father and (someday) son in which he explains that the great tenor is "almost as good as Presley"; the tale of friendship in "Blue Moon Rose" and "Apron Strings", a song of love and loss. EBTG are just as touching on
Amplified Heart and the US-only
Acoustic but
Idlewild is a classic in its own right.
-- Randy Silver
CD Description
Through a sea of changes they moved, from sparse indie folkto jazz, and with this album, they slotted into the classy pop niche. Very much a cosy 80s album for those that had weathered the new wave of the late 70s, EBTG still have the Habitat/Ikea image in their front-room. This is unnecessary carping because the songs are quite excellent, from the romantic innocence of "These Early Days" to the romantic experienceof "I Always Was Your Girl". Thorn's voice is at last sounding fully in command and the choice of the late Danny Whitten's "I Don't Want To Talk About It" is inspired.