Uh, Oh! Uh, Oh! We’ve all heard her sing the song, Mama Do was Pixie Lott’s debut single and went straight to number one on the UK charts. What a debut, I must say. The young Pixie Lott (she’s only nineteen, I was shocked) was born in Brentwood, Essex. Don’t ask me where the hell that is, but I bet they all knew here there. She must be more than the local star, by now.
Her first album, Turn It Up, came out in September 2009 so it was about damn time I reviewed the girl. She was a guest at one of the biggest Belgian music and talk shows a few months ago, and it was clear back then already what she was about. She brings the perfect mix of sexy and playful but young and by-parents-approval.
Especially, when the first single is about having a secret relationship with a bad boy thinking her parents, who she still lives with, of course, are going to kill her if they find out. The song is catchy because we’ve all been through the same, and if we haven’t, we will or we want to. Its naughty, but not nasty. And the first time I heard the song, I thought Duffy’s sister broke through and made happy music, for a change with the typical Duffy fifties flavor.
Pixie Lott – or Victoria Louise Lott – is a girl who can sing, and that enlightens me since the recent pop scene has nothing more than auto tuned empty voiced popstars. There is nothing wrong with that, and I love most of those popstars, but becuase of her voice, Pixie has an advantage.
And that advantage is very clear in Cry Me Out, the third single and second track off the album.
I honestly don’t think I could pull it off to listen to the track everyday, but its a pretty typical pop heartbreak song with her striking voice. The video, is the way it should be: singing sad Pixie Lott in black and white. I googled, because I always do and I found out that the song was released on my birthday. She was still eighteen when the song came out, and I turned eighteen. Ugh, that makes me feel jealous in so many ways.
What I love about the song, though is the cheesiness of the background singers.
You can hear the cheesiness all through the album, certainly in “Band Aid”. Band Aid is a cute song and she sings “When I hurt, when I break, you are my band aid.” I always melt at those words, for some reason. And I’m not even in love. But I’m also a teenage girl. So of course, I love it.
After the love song, theres a song about getting over a heartbreak. “Turn It up”, sounds a lot like any other of her songs, its happy and cute. But I’m sure that its the chosen favorite of every girl who’s heart got broken by a boy but doesn’t want to sob anymore. It’s the typical dance-in-my-undies-on-the-bed song, all though the whole album is. If you don’t get what kind of album this is yet, I have no other words.
Now its time for “Boys And Girls”, the second single off the album. It’s the album that attracted me to get to know Pixie. With that typical happy time dancing video, its fun. Well, of course its fun!
“Gravity” is the second ballad off the album, and its quite different sounding than the other songs since it has a typical R&B beat. In this song her pop vocals come out on a strong way again, certainly in the chorus where she sings on a specific high way.
“My Love”, is like any other Pixie Lott until now; obviously about love, with cheesy lyrics and a melody that sounds like its written by Max Martin.
The next song, “Jack”, is a different kind of song. I can’t really explain why, but its my favorite. Probably because it reminds me – and so many other girls – of that one guy that I will always remember. The song is incredibly happy, more than all the other songs on the album, if that can be possible. It’s the kind of song I’d want to kill on a Monday morning but love to death on a friday night, on my way back home. The song ends with the lyrics “After loving Jack, there is no going back.” Yep, I know what you mean.
“Nothing Compares” starts with a short guitar intro, unlike most of her songs who all start with a piano intro. It’s a ballad again, which beautifully ballasts the album. In this song, the background vocals are a strong aspect again but thats not hard to understand since she’s trying to get back with her boyfriend in this song. Teenage diary material, but good enough for me.
If Pixie Lott would live in the US, “Here We Go Again” would justify underage drinking. Thank god she’s British because Pixie Lott sings about clubbing and the not so pleasant effects of the drinking. Aka, a hang over. The song is produced by RedOne , the famous producer who for example launched Lady Gaga’s career and made Enrique and Ciara’s duet a success. The song is kind of lascivious but still typical poppy.
In “The Way The World Works” Pixie Lott suffers from the Lilly Allen syndrome: the happy melody vs. sad lyrics syndrome. With a little fifties influence, again, the chorus stays in your head but makes you happy on a weird way, since other people would be screaming “so tired of the way the world works!” while Pixie sings it. Like birds do on a spring day.
“Hold me in your arms” is the last song and ballad off the album and it’s one of those feel good songs. I feel good when you’re with me, and you feel good when I’m with you. So hold me in your arms, and we’ll eat some chinese. Okay, those aren’t the real lryics. In real life she sings ” Hold me in your arms, because I’m falling”, but isn’t that the same?
Turn It Up is the typical teenage drama “but I still love you” album and with the help of the nineteen year old pop voice, it makes it even more teenage-y. But the album works, and it works on so many levels a lot of songs are really big ear worms. For me anyway. For people who don’t like the bubble pop genre, don’t even bother. I’m curious for her next one. More bubbles or more clubbing?
No comments:
Post a Comment