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Review Summary: "I don't know what a winner is, but I want to be one" Apparently, the sufficient requirement for an album to be interesting is to come from the UK. The list of new talent coming from there seems endless. Eliza Doolittle may not be well-known outside her home country, and maybe that is the reason she has only released two albums in the course of almost six years. It is really a shame.
She broke into the scene with her 2010 self-titled album, a very playful and clever record in a similar vein of Lily Allen's 2006 album Alright, Still. It drew influences from another époque, with its jazzy and cheerful arrangements, that paired with attitude and light, fun lyrics, made almost impossible not to like it. Three years later we have In Your Hands, in which we see a departure from her earlier sound to a more conventional, modern pop sound. That is, only by comparison. It is not like her new works is very concerned with current musical trends. The arrangements are sober, almost minimal, but work effectively well. It is a very welcome contrast to the overproduced music that is the trend in popular music these days. She is closer to, say, Sarah Mclahlan (in her most pop-ier vein), than to a Selena Gomez. The production is clean and suits every song nicely. I particularly like the percussion on the songs, which given the fact the arrangements are relatively simple, the producers were basically "forced" to make something more unique for each track. Now it is turn to Eliza to shine, because this is still her show, and we are interested in the songs themselves.
The record has plenty of beautiful melodies and fun, lighthearted lyrics, even when she speaks of more serious matters. Thinking of it, no two songs are alike, and in itself reveals a lot more work was put into it than some fans of her previous album give it credit for, wishing perhaps she had stayed closed to that former sound. Arrangements are sober but precise, and every song has something different going for it. Eliza does not have a powerful voice or a very distinctive one, but she does have a beautiful voice and has the ability to paint every song with a different color and convey different emotions. Most of the tracks here are mid-tempo, and yet, the album never sounds boring. It is clear the album is not concerned with musical novelties nor attempts to break the mold; it is simply an album from a girl that has something to say and enjoys and knows how to do it. In Your Hands is a solid collection of catchy, beautiful songs and shows Eliza can try a different direction and still be true to herself. We can only hope she continues to release albums, because Eliza Doolittle is very good at it.
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Album Rating: 4.0
Is there a way to fix the album art without resubmitting all fields?
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Whoa, a Zettel review! It was well written, friend. The francophone I am couldn't really find typos easily, so yes, I haven't found any ;)
Since you mentioned Sarah Mclachlan as a reference, I might give this a spin.
Oh! You miss spelled ''Mclachlan'' ;)
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the rain in spain stays mainly in the plains
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
pos for you!
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Did someone say Doolittle?
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doolittle rocks
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i bet this rules
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
@Jethro: Jesus Christ, you are alive! It is very nice to see you, I have not been in touch with the site in the last two-three years, as you probably know, so I thought maybe you had retired too. Hope you are doing well. Sir.
The typo, I see it. I always misspell her name somehow, that is why I avoid mentioning her as much as I can, haha. If you like Sarah, you might like this one. It is not like the perfect comparison, but sometimes I get a Sarah's vibe in her music, in the best sense. What I liked about this album is that Eliza does not really sound like anyone else, or at least the reference is not as immediate and obvious as with many other singers.
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Hey, Zettel, long time no see indeed! I forgot to mention an obvious remark; WELCOME BACK!
I'm less present to the site myself, since I don't do reviews with Nag anymore. He left the site for the good, couple months ago, cos he leads a busy life ;) Also, the prog community is not what it was anymore. It decreases more and more, so I was often near to definitely quit myself, but I suppose I would have been lurking from time to time ;)
Hope you are doing well! I'm fine myself, thank you!
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Well, I guess even sites like this have a kind of "generations", too. I myself feel like I have been here forever, even when I do not visit this site that often anymore, so maybe we can feel out of place with the new "generations", hahaha.
I am a little sad you do not review anymore. It is true prog-rock is not the most popular genre, and maybe it does not pay-off to write reviews most do not read anyways. I feel a bit the same way with electronic music, so I feel you. But one review once in a while will not hurt anyone! Myself, I am planning to write a handful of reviews in the near future. Not sure if I will ever be back in "full" form, but I still enjoy writing on music, so... here we are. ;-)
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I'm not saying I will never write again, but it would surely not be in a regular basis. I spend more time in reading reviews, in giving recs to starving proghead users and I occasionally participate in lists, chatting and stuff.
Count me as a reader of your reviews, buddy. Future and past. And who knows if electronic music could become a style of predilection ;)
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