Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An impressive debut, 28 Jun 2004
First, a brief background. Xanda Howe is an English artist who left university following her discovery by an independent record producer whilst she was working as a waitress. The product is this collection of 11 songs, all bar one composed by Xanda. All songs have a good rhythm, a nice bass beat and some beautiful melodies to complement some chirpy and cheerful lyrics; I particularly enjoyed "Midnight Poet", "And How" and "Feel You". Unfortunately, the whole album is ruined by an intrusive rap interlude in "How Do I Love Thee" - thank goodness for programmable CD players.As for the style of music: poppy and a bit jazzy, but more pop than jazz. I always think music reviews are pointless and arbitrary since musical tastes vary from listener to listener. I'm a fan of Lene Marlin, Jewel, Mary Chapin Carpenter as well as countless rock musicians and lots of chart music and much of the stuff that is played in the commercial clubs. Personally, I feel that "And How" isn't the same standard as Lene Marlin's "Playing My Game", but her music is the closest comparison I can draw to Xanda Howe's. "And How" is a touch too 'plucky' for my tastes but really enjoyable nonetheless. It isn't music that will make the Top 40 (it's a more mature type of pop music) but I wouldn't be surprised to hear it extolled on Radio 2 if it hasn't been already.
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0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A suprising relief (where I least expected it), 4 April 2005
By A Customer
I found this album to be artistically poor, uninspired and directionless, devoid of wit, charm, panache and anything more than Alex Howe's pretty but thin voice and a few processed beats. The reason I gave this 4 stars lies in the fact that it (very briefly) brings a new star to the forefront of the world stage in possession of such effortless grace and sparkle, that the rest of the album lacks, as I nearly dropped my tea upon first hearing him. Jimmy Kent (son of producer and svengali Osman)is in possession of a simply sensational larynx capable of a spoken word delivery of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's "how do i love thee" that is both enormously evocative and also not lacking in edge, putting shame to HIS counterpoint, Xanda Howe. It is to me as if the whole album revolves around this seminal point of revelation from which flows strength, passion and sincerity, spilling like molten droplets of colour across the pages of an otherwise barren manuscript. A star is born, but not the one on the front of the album.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A suprising relief (where I least expected one), 4 April 2005
I found this album to be artistically poor, uninspired and directionless, devoid of wit, charm, panache and anything more than Alex Howe's pretty but thin voice and a few processed beats. The reason I gave this 4 stars lies in the fact that it (very briefly) brings a new star to the forefront of the world stage in possession of such effortless grace and sparkle, that the rest of the album lacks, as I nearly dropped my tea upon first hearing him. Jimmy Kent (son of producer and svengali Osman)is in possession of a simply sensational larynx capable of a spoken word delivery of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's "how do i love thee" that is both enormously evocative and also not lacking in edge, putting shame to HIS counterpoint, Xanda Howe. It is to me as if the whole album revolves around this seminal point of revelation from which flows strength, passion and sincerity, spilling like molten droplets of colour across the pages of an otherwise barren manuscript. A star is born, but not the one on the front of the album.
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