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Loved it - only two absolute duds (Domino and Finish what we started), it's brimming with great vocal performances and about half of the record features really stellar tunes (with the rest being very good, imo). Nearly everything about this record feels perfect to me --- and really not that "pop" at all... more 90s pop/r&b throwback if anything, and that in the best way possible. This record feels like a better hybrid of the spaciousness we found on Devotion - that openness many of us found so inviting - and the pop leanings that made Tough Love a less engaging listen (for me anyway). I was swooning for the majority of my first listen and it's been playing in my car non-stop...
I jotted some random notes while listening at work this morning - these aren't cleaned up at all and may be vague or repetitive, but thought I'd share:
Midnight – vulnerable verses, strong infectious chorus – unexpected segue (great opener) – nice touches in terms of layered vocals, unexpected modulations that come off as ad libs --- beautifully produced – lots of dynamics. I'm a sucker for that thumping Bennie and the Jets-ish feel and I think she pulls it off (see: Super rich kids...)
Thinking About you – not my favorite, but vocals really work – just feels a little more formulaic/predictable than I’d like without a lot of development, but pretty nonetheless- I could take it off
Stay Awake, Wait for me – amazing. Top tier of the album – lots of open space, different type of vocals from Ware on the verse than we are used to – love the breathless, playful second verse, the fun layered outro
Domino – obviously the weakest track on the album – wouldn’t even be *that* bad if the lyrics weren’t as awful as they are
Alone – the early/mid-90s big ballad vibe on this is strong and I really enjoy it. her vocals *kill* the total range on this, every line just brings her best out more and more
Selfish love – Cool nod to “Lovefool” in the melody (at least that’s what I’m going to read it as), some of the better lyrics on the record, and a really cool vibe in general. I could listen to this on repeat easy.
First Time – Ok - I had to put this on repeat on my first listen through the record... maybe it’s personal, lol --- but this one really pulled me in. Love the dynamics, the open spaces (again) – strong melody with a bit of unexpectedness built in (shift on “running all the red lights…” for instance) and production is perfect.
Hearts – Back-to-back w/first time makes for a potent punch in the emotional gut even though the chorus comes off a bit clichéd (the verses don’t – they feel real, vulnerable)
“Slow me down” – Sweet mother of god – I put this one on repeat, too, and went back to it right when I finished the album all the way through --- best bridge on the record, easily, just beautiful song from start to finish and the vocal performance is just perfection --- again, all the space is just perfect for her, and her range really shines here – lots of attention to detail, too, (listen to the wind chime-like sounds backing the chorus near the end, super soft but perfection). Probably my pick for the best of the album...
Finish what we started --- eh, pretty tepid and boring – probably my 2nd least favorite after domino (vocals *almost* save it but the song just isn’t very good)
Last of the true believers – in terms of songwriting, this ranks in the top tier of the record for sure – it avoids the quiet verse/loud chorus formula that gets a bit repetitive over the course of the record, and from a musical perspective the melody of the chorus hangs at an unexpected position in relation to the root and progression of the verses --- really elegant and thoughtful in its execution
Sam --- no words. Have we heard her this vulnerable and unadorned before, in the studio? (A lot of her live performances are more stripped down, but this is at another level.) Crazy good, crazy way to end the album (such a left turn), love that it feels a little lullaby-ish and unabashedly sentimental, even to the point of simplicity. For some reason it feels a bit like goodbye – I really hope not…
-thebigfunk
~ i could still snort you under the table ~
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