Can't Rely On You sounded a lot like Blurred Lines, right? It was a welcome similarity and in some ways an improvement on the misogynistic (yet extremely enjoyable) piece of contemporary r&b from Pharrell and Robin Thicke. Faith's song suffered from the bug of repetition though and at points it didn't feel entirely genuine or as authentically soulful as she may have intended. Her third album A Perfect Contradiction is more upbeat than her past endeavours, but does it show that she's mastering her craft?
It's not only Pharrell she has passing hands over her studio knobs. Faith has also roped in Raphael Saadiq, an incredible soul artist in his own right. Mouth to Mouth is a solid track with a great chorus backed by a brilliant arrangement of soulful harmonies, piano keys and horns. Mr Hudson track Take Me amps up the sass, with Faith demanding her lover to "take me, take me, only you can stimulate me". Discounting the lead single, this is the strongest and most memorable of the uptempo portion of the album. However the spoken lines in the middle are let down by some dodgy lyricism about frequent flyer points. It certainly a track you'd want to dance to in a Jazz/Soul bar though.
Faith is no stranger to a ballad. They kick off with Only Love Can Hurt Like This, a Diane Warren penned track which serves as single number two. It's a decent piece of balladry, with memorable production and a simple yet effective chorus. There's something lacking in Faith's performance though which results in the high notes in the finale being more grating than emotional. This unpleasantry is repeated on 60s cover The Bigger You Love (The Harder You Fall). The nostalgic Taste My Own Tears contains echoes of classic soul & motown (think The Supremes). It's instantly likeable for this very reason and Faith's vocals are stellar.
The entire album suffers from genericism, something it never seems to escape. Other Woman features production from Plan B, whom I expected to pull something interesting out of his bag. It doesn't really have a hook and by the end of it I'd zoned out and forgotten it was playing (which pissed me off because I had to rewind it - Christ). This 'zoning out' occurred with Trouble With My Baby, an uptempo number with an enjoyable beat but completely forgettable lyrics. Dodgy lyrics raise their ugly head on Love Only Leaves You Lonely, "I sleep with the TV on and write the saddest songs, cigarettes and alcohol have become by only escape. Then you have the random Impossible Heart, with its disco production. Disco in the middle of a soul album... I'm not lying when I say I had to double check I had the right song! Finale It's The Not Knowing leans more toward funk. It starts off well but like with much of the latter stages of the album, it becomes boring.
The main issue with this album is that it's generic and for the most part, forgettable. The vocals, production and general composition are not bad at all. All parts are played very well, they just never go that extra inch to push the finished product 'up there' (wherever that is?). Faith's voice is undeniably distinct from her peers and there is really nobody else like her in the charts at the moment. There are moments of over singing and unpleasant roaring, but this could be forgiven if the songs had just been that little bit better. It looks like a case of third album syndrome and if that doesn't exist then I've just invented it.
2/5
Download: Can't Rely On You / Take Me / Taste My Own Tears
No comments :
Post a Comment