Siobhan Donaghy - 'Don't Give It Up'
Let's play a game. Think about the music you like the best, and then try and come up with the adjectives (describing words - like tall, sticky, furry) which best describe how that music makes you feel. What sort of words have you got? I bet 'happy' is in there. And 'brave' or 'capable' or 'calm'. And probably 'excited' and 'hyper', all the words that mean you can't sit still while listening...
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How about 'scared'? No? 'Unsettled'? 'Spooked'? 'Plagued by spirits?' How very odd. Cos here's Siobhan, with her glassy voice, like a transmission from Hades, channelling the moans of lost souls through a massive echoey cave, and yet the noise she's making is unmistakeably pop music. Epic pop music, sure. Great big huge sweeping enormous pop music. The kind of pop music Radio 2 would call "classy" while pretending to find it pretentious for comic effect...but pop music nonetheless.
But then, it all starts to make sense if you pause a second to remember Siobhan used to be a Sugababe. The Sugababes' best trick was always to sing about sexy things while glaring at their audience like they would cheerfully poison the tea of ANYONE who had the sheer nerve to even LOOK at them in a fond way. All Siobhan has done is take this frozen warmth and tone down the sex a bit, while amping up the wafty ghost noises,
Or, to put it another way, this is like being wrapped in a blanket made of frost, only to find that it is surprisingly warm. Which should be enough to make anyone 'happy', right?
Released: April 9th
(Fraser McAlpine)
Comments
This reminds me of Kate Bush and I mean that as a compliment. Siobhan, if you want to become the next Kate Bush, that's fine with me! Just don't wander off into the Netherworld yet.
.. great review, sums it up nicely, classic !!
"" this is like being wrapped in a blanket made of frost, only to find that it is surprisingly warm. ""
exactly right !!
Siobhan has a wonderful voice and is a really credible artist, exploring the artistry of record making, which after all is what this is all meant to be about is it not ?
James
[couldn't have put it better myself. Oh wait. I did! - Fraser]
Siobhans songs are wicked, been listening to them on her website....please give this girl more of a chance RADIO 1...PLEASE PLAY HER TUNES more there so cool!!
She is so talented!! i cant wait to buy the album!!