Friday, 17 January 2014

Eliza Doolittle- In Your Hands Album Review


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Album- In Your Hands
Artist- Eliza Doolittle

After producing a couple of hit singles and a platinum selling debut album, British singer-songwriter Eliza Doolittle went quite quiet for over a year. But in 2013 the singer returned to the charts with her feature on the Disclosure track ‘You & Me’, and with the release of her own single ‘Big When I Was Little’. Yet the singer’s second album has not performed as well as her previous record, only reaching number 25 in the UK album chart and seemingly being hindered by a release in the music heavy last quarter of 2013. But is In Your Hands that bad an album, or does this record have enough charm and power to see renewed success for the singer in 2014?

Track 1- Waste of Time

Opening track Waste of Time is a minimalist slice of soulful pop backed by a jazzy piano line and toe tapping tambourine instrumentation. The song opens up the album in a simplistic but sophisticated way, and whilst the jaunty rhythm of the song is quite joyful, Doolittle contrasts that joyous tone within her lyrics, as she reflects on this relationship that is a waste of time, but she still wants her baby. The use of some soulful background vocals creates an extra layer of depth to the lyrics, and although the song is too repetitive, Doolittle does make this a strong opening through the way that she opens up her voice, with the rough vocal in the bridge seemingly bringing a layer of honesty to the singers work.

3.5/5

Track 2- Back Packing

Beginning with this quirky, electronic music box rhythm, Back Packing quickly transforms into a thumping mid tempo track in which Doolittle plays the role of a ‘real’ woman who travels the world and who has all that this boy needs. Within the lyrics the singer seems to really show that she has come of age, and what is nice about the song is the way that the singer elevates the lyrics by bringing out a sensual vocal performance. The chorus itself is quite annoying as the layered vocal and lyrical repetition just comes across as too forceful, but the singer executes her confident persona well, and the jaunty piano and snappy, 60’s soul vibe creates a nice, swaying rhythm to the song.

3/5

Track 3- Hush

Hush is another track that is backed by this quirky music box beat, but which quickly becomes subdued by snappy drum beats and more soulful pop production. The singer becomes more of a feisty women with this song, as she tells this person to stop talking because she is sick of their actions and believes that they just talk a lot of rubbish. The lyrics are simple, sharp and smart, whilst the chorus is made catchier by the way that the singer utilises her voice. This is because Doolittle shows off her range and creates more subdued verses against the falsetto led chorus, creating a fun dynamic within the song that works really well and makes the lyrical statements that bit more cutting.

3.5/5

Track 4- Let It Rain

Second single Let It Rain is positioned as big mid tempo pop moment, but sadly the song doesn’t have the right level of impact that it possibly could. Here we find the singer telling us of how she has had bad times and learnt lessons, and she just wants her troubles to rain on her, because she will be stronger because of it. The use of the rain metaphor is quite clichéd, and that is a problem with the lyrical composition as a whole, as Doolittle doesn’t really say anything interesting and just treads that familiar line of what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. The singer isn’t the strongest vocalist and this song shows this, but she does give it her best and imbues the song with a passion that you can kind of invest in towards the end. The pop production tries to make the song sound more impactful but just heightens the songs clichés, however the mix of strings, horns and drums is still light and fun enough to make this a nice pop song, just not the best.

3/5

Track 5- No Man Can

No Man Can is a lovely ballad that finds the singer telling us of how she gives her all in relationships, and how this boy makes her feel in a way that no man could. The song just acts as a pure ode to falling in love that is made sweeter by the singers light vocal tone that is layered in the right places and which brings out the whole sentiment of the song very nicely. The hand clap heavy production creates a nice, summery pop vibe to the record that is forceful but light enough to let the lyrics do the work, and whilst the song could perhaps be kicked up a gear towards the end for a better finish, this is a fine ballad that shows of the singer to better effect.  

3.5/5

Track 6- Walking On Water

Doolittle takes things to more of a wistful but dominate vibe with Walking on Water, a song that finds the singer addressing the issue of how her and her man have a great relationship, but she is tired of things being simple, and now she seemingly wants to take the relationship to new, serious heights. The lyrics are catchy in places but some of the references don’t flow as well as they should, and within the song Doolittle can come across as a bit of a whiny girlfriend, just as her much as her light vocal makes it seem like she is a lovely person. The problem at this point is the hand clapping beats of the production sound so familiar and simple that at this point it just seems as if the singer is on a music recycling binge.

3/5

Track 7- In Your Hands

Title track In Your Hands finds the singer wearily singing of how she is in love with this person who is maybe not good for her, but she can’t help the fact that her heart is in his hands. The songs concept is very unoriginal, and the singer’s lyrics don’t push beyond the idea of this man being good and bad, with the singer just going around in circles and saying the same thing over and over, which is really annoying. The vocal performance also becomes equally as annoying quite quickly, as the singer puts on this cutesy vocal performance that sees her go into her higher register to very poor effect. Combine this with the bland, bass heavy production, and you just have a title track that is really boring to listen to.

1.5/5

Track 8- Checkmate

From the soppy, cringe worthy times of the previous track we turn to a more upbeat time with Checkmate. The song is a forceful, sharp break up song in which Doolittle tells this boy that he is too late in showing his feelings and stepping up in his relationship, with the singer telling him that he ‘is just a little boy in a big girls land’ and using the idea of chess to show that she has won in the end. The song is definitely one of the better lyrical compositions from the album, and what is great about this song is the way that it is a biting track but also just has this really fun essence. The singer seems to show more of a lively personality within her vocal performance, whilst the production is fun with the upbeat piano line and snappy, military style drum beats that just creates this fun sound that works well with the lyrics.

3.5/5

Track 9- Team Player

Team Player finds the singer giving us a deep, soulful performance in the beginning that is simply backed by piano, before the heavy bass begins and this smoky, snappy drum beat begins to really centre the song. The tracks minimal style does work well in showing off the singer’s voice and allowing her airy tone to do its work on the listener, but the production is a bit too harsh and doesn’t really tread any interesting ground. The song lyrically focuses on Doolittle telling this person that she doesn’t want to hear that it is over, as she tells this person that together they could run the world. Lyrically it just reads as a desperate plea for a guy to not break up with you, and with some terrible clichés and a really sloppy, ‘la la la’ filled bridge, this is a really poor track.

2/5

Track 10- Make Up Sex

With Make Up Sex Doolittle takes the album to its edgiest realms, as she sings of the idea of how relationships may not work and you should just give up sometimes, but this particular guy should not wait around for that thing that is make up sex. It is nice to hear the singer being a commanding and driven person, but after about two thirds of the song her forceful disposition doesn’t really have the same impact. The use of strings in the bridge is nice, and overall the singer’s vocals are smart and snappy, but once again the production feels very formulaic and indifferent to the song, blending with the rest of the albums tracks to make it seem as if the singer has no other sound.

2/5

Track 11- Don’t Call It Love

The blurring piano line that acts as the undertone of this song is intriguing, and although the snappy drum beats and soul pop production is familiar, the song is a bit more intriguing through how the sound has a slightly darker quality. Here we find the singer telling this person that there relationship could be seen as anything, but calling it love would just be a lie. The message is simple but effective, with the singer nicely playing with the idea of a bland relationship very well. The singer’s vocals are also nice in the way that her airy vocals are quite languid, and with the use of background vocals, the song is nicely formed into this chilled affair that finds the singer in a nice state of contentment with her situation.

3.5/5

Track 12- Big When I Was Little

Lead single Big When I Was Little is a bold slice of up tempo ska pop with brash horns and a shiny musical tone that has you bouncing around in joy and nostalgia. The song is a nice change within the record as we find the singer turning away from romantic ideas and focusing on this idea of looking back at childhood memories. The song is lyrically fun and witty with some nice cultural references that teenagers of the 90’s will love, and set against the summery, bold tone of the production, the song is just transformed into as a fun a nostalgic moment for the listener as it is for Doolittle herself. The singer’s vocals are also nice and airy with a personality driven essence that makes the nostalgia feel all the more worthwhile. The only problem for me with this song is that, whilst definitely a standout from the album, it doesn’t fit as a well within the more mature, relationship heavy context, and potentially could be seen as something created just for the need of a commercially accessible song that could sell well.

3.5/5

Track 13- Euston Road

Final track Euston Road is another song in which the singer stays within the realms of nostalgia, but this time the singer blends nostalgia with a romantic edge. The nostalgia is also twisted into contemplation of the future, as the singer focuses on how she and this person are growing up and moving on. It is a nice, coming of age song with a smooth vocal and simple backdrop for the sound, but by this point in the record things have just been going on too long, causing the record to lose some of its charm.

3/5

Final Review

In listening to In Your Hands I can’t help but come to the conclusion that the album didn’t do as well as the singer’s debut not just because it was released during a busy period, but because it isn’t that good an album. The singer’s airy voice is nice enough and some of the lyrics are catchy, but on the whole the album just blends into a mess of quite formulaic soul pop that tries to show maturity but which saps out the fun, meaning that you can quickly become bored with Doolittle. This album just shows that she really should go back to the drawing board, and try and make some happier moments in her life.

Best Track- Big When I Was Little

Worst Track- In Your Hands

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