|
|
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Different.....A Definite Grower, 14 Feb 2005
Like many other people I was tuned in to Juliet Turner by Terry Wogan, who has been playing "Vampire" from this album (now released as a single) and tracks from her earlier work "Burn The Black Suit", which is crammed full of good tunes.Well, four years separate the recording of the earlier CD and this one; four years is a long time in any business and somewhere along the way in that time she has, as well as changing all her backing band (except the drummer), taken a distinct left (or right) turn off the road, musically and lyrically. The dub intro, reggae beats, and thrumming bass of the very first track "The Greatest Show On Earth" is an immediate shock to the system, if, that is, you were expecting anything like "Black Suit" - it sounds very 1980s, and it has a very infectious hook. Next track, "One Night" sounds as if it could have been (but isn't) a cover of a Police or Sting number; "The Signal And The Noise" again has that chugging reggae beat and hookline. The uptempo rock of "1987" reeks of Paul Weller in his late Jam and Style Council days. Other things that are immediately apparent:- Four years, and touring, sometimes in support of some big rock names, have taken the edge off the sharp Northern Irish singing voice that was so engaging before - in places she now sounds more like Dana. The lyrics, too, have changed - gone are the prose and running thoughts, the rants and social comment. They've been replaced by proper verse, by songs of love, past and present, of ghosts (of Elvis) and desertion. All of the songs grow on you. None might be as immediate as some on the last album but this is no bad thing. This is less poppy, and certainly the folk and country elements have gone; this is more rock-chick, and funky - the backing band and production has a beefier sound as well. But it is not without its subtle, haunting moments - the single "Vampire" and the title track stand out for this. To close out she does a cover of Nancy Sinatra's (actually Lee Hazlewood's) "Sugar Town", done as a slow, smoochie dance; it sounds odd to begin with, but, like the Beautiful South's recent covers, it does actually work. Throughout Juliet's voice is upfront and crystal clear; she may have lost a little of the dialect, but that will probably work in her favour. This CD is quite different from her last - to begin with this is a little offputting, but it's a case of stick with it, it will definitely grow - three plays is all it took to change four stars to five!
|
~ Juliet Turner
~ Juliet Turner
~ Juliet Turner
~ Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
~ Lisa Hannigan
With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is). 
Amazon Home