Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Pick Of The Week: Paloma Faith
"Duffy's disappointing second album Endlessly saw her pop-soul crown rapidly slip, but there are no such career-wobbles for Paloma Faith."
That is the first line of Mojo's review of "A Perfect Contradiction," the new and third record from the "pint-sized diva from Hackney," Paloma Faith. The review goes on to drop names like Prince, Phil Spector, the Jackson 5 and Chic, and as per Mojo, the comments read like a 5-star masterpiece but the record has been slapped with only 3 stars. I was intrigued.
I was afraid I wouldn't last beyond a song or two. I am not a fan of Duffy and as wonderful as Amy Winehouse was, the crop of wannabes that soon followed in her wake left me cold.
Fear not, "A Perfect Contradiction" is big. Great songs and production that deliver without relying simply on the retro style. The record plays like a collection of hit singles from the 70's and 80's and it's refreshing. The way Daft Punk created a sound palette paying tribute to the dance floor, Faith with a little help from "man of the moment" Pharrell Williams, as well as John Legend, offers up one pop single after another, covering the same ground as the superstars cited above.
The full album is here courtesy of YouTube and some unknown philanthropist, but check out tracks two and four, "Mouth To Mouth," a nice piece of disco-soul not unlike the best of Chic and "Only Love Can Hurt Like This," the wall-of-sound ballad, closely resembling the best of Amy Winehouse.
I'm digging the whole thing.
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6 comments:
EFarte FrancisHello all...no, please remain seated,
Thanks for the heads-up on this. Hadn't heard of her (them?) before. Will give it a listen post-cubicle time.
Different strokes and all that, but I loved Duffy's first album. The song Syrup & Honey is the kind of song (arpeggiated guitar, lot's of open space) that I will pretty much automatically like. I attuned to that particular formula. Her 2nd album? Never heard a lick off it.
Hey, speaking of retro soul...what ever happened to Ricky Fante?
regards,
RichD
haha...I accidently typed the robo-verification in my message. Either that or some chemicals from the 70's have busted loose in my bloodstream.
RichD
This is good. Sound is modern with just a touch of retro
I really enjoyed the first Duffy album but the follow-up left me cold. Too nasally and not enough Bernard Butler.
I've been on the Paloma Faith bandwagon fro the last 2 albums. Love the big production and a lot of pretty good songs although not in the same league as Amy. Looking forward to the new one.
Thanks Sal.
I'm feeling stuck and bored with my music these days. This Paloma Faith might be many thing -- boring it ain't!
Seen Ms Faith on The Graham Norton Show ... she's a real character. My daughter saw her perform at TT The Bears in Cambridge, Mass. Put on a great show and was a real sweetheart to the fans, before and after. Glad to hear her albums are good too.
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