Album- Fall to Grace
Artist- Paloma Faith
Paloma Faith is one of those eccentric artists that you can
easily love but also easily find annoying. However with her second studio album
she created a new record that still kept in line with her eccentric personality
but had a charm and pure quality that gave a very old school feel to the record
and caused her star to just rise and rise in 2012, with the artist also proving
that sometimes the second album can be even better than the first.
Track 1- Picking Up the
Pieces
The opening track of the album was also chosen as the lead
single. As an epic orchestral piece that is a pop confection so great, it taps
into the hearts of many people, it is so clear that this just had to be the
first single. Lyrically the tracks is about Faith lamenting the fact that her
lover is still focused upon his ex and that she feels like she is always in the
shadows and that she has to try and get
him to see the relationship he is in now and see the woman that he has found
new love with. It will definitely being something that many will identify, and
it is definitely elevated by Faith’s vocal performance, with chorus being
vocally unrestrained and having that tangible sense of passion. And the slow,
melancholic violins, powerful but subtle drum bass, and the use of a chorus of
voices all create a big wall of sound that makes this a delight and just an
awesome number.
5/5
Track 2- 30 Minute
Love Affair
This second track is a smoky, synth beat driven pop song
that was inspired by a short encounter Faith had with a busker many years ago,
and the way she felt after he said he would be at the same place the next day
and then never should. It lyrically invokes that sense of a rush of love and
has a slight passionate tone that will resonate with those who believe in such
ideas as love and first sight. And with the synth beats it has a more up tempo,
dancey feel to it, contrasting well with the balladry of the previous number.
As well as all this, Faith’s vocal tone really carries the track, as it has a
slight sultry feel and brings out the idea of a love affair within the song in
a dominant way.
3.5/5
Track 3- Black &
Blue
This slightly dark ballad number is a piano and synth beat
driven song that is a nice change in that it doesn’t focus on love but offers
an observation of the world, looking at the various hard hitting situations
that people find themselves in and conveying the sentiment that we are all
united in suffering in many ways. The lyrics invoke a powerful array of images
that really sit with the listening, with the lyric “wipe it off your sleeve,
your superiority” emphasising the fact that we are all human and nobody is
better than anyone else, a wise and heartfelt declaration from the singer. And
with the roughness of her vocals the deepness of the songs sentiment really
comes to the fore, with the chorus having a forceful quality that really gets
through to the listener, and the bluesy, calming but moody production gives
that sense of vulnerability but also intensity to the track.
4/5
Track 4- Just Be
This poetic ballad features a very stripped back sound,
being simply Faiths voice and the piano. And because of this it is so heartfelt
and true that it will immediately strike a chord with listeners and is just
such a beautiful piece. The lyrics speak of Faith telling her lover to just be
as she knows that there are ups and downs to their relationship and she still
loves him always. Faith described it as a realistic love song for real lovers,
and it is indeed this, having that true sense of sincerity and vulnerability to
it that brings forth a total sense of honesty. And with her gorgeous vocals
which feature beautiful harmonies and the simplistic nature of the production,
the track has that old school glamour feel that is so current and yet so
throwback. This is how music should be and this definitely should have been a
much bigger hit in the UK than it was.
5/5
Track 5- Let Me Down
Easy
The fifth track is a smooth and in my mind a little sassy
number that is synth beat driven and is a cover of a track originally recorded
by Bettye Lavette. Faith invokes that sense of the song being a old classis
through the vocal tone she employs with in this track, having that vocal wobble
that would be associated with Lavette’s time. But with the synth driven, hand
clap inducing production the song also holds a very modern identity, and whilst
the lyrics are a little repetitive, the simple hook embodies the sentiment of
the song perfectly and will definitely keep your attention.
3/5
Track 6- Blood Sweat
& Tears
This disco number is the most up tempo affair of the record
and features nice dance groove and a smooth, influenced by the past energy that
never compromises on Faith’s poetic lyrical quality. With shimmering synth
beats and a powerful bass the track has a great vitality that makes it
extremely catchy. And this compliments the lyrics of the track really well, as
Faith talks about fighting through a relationship even if it isn’t easy, because
at the end of the day it will be worth it. And it highlights the grounding of
Faith in the real world, even if she may seem extravagant and other worldly, because
she understands life isn’t easy, summed up in the great line “it takes two
imperfect people, too dance a sweet ballet”. The vocals are nice and the key
change into the latter half of the chorus shows the power within her voice
really well.
4/5
Track 7- Beauty of
the End
The album diverges nicely into a simple guitar led piece in
which Faith speaks of her sadness for the loss of a relationship but seeing the
beauty of the relationship. It lyrically offers that nice contrast with the
previous track and although is a little bit clichéd, the sentiment is expressed
in a grand way in the chorus that is good. This is partly due to Faith’s vocal
performance in the track, diverging from the low to high realms of her vocal
ability and giving that sense of vulnerability, particularly within the final
minute of the track. Keeping the production of the track pretty simple really
allows the ideology of the track to come through in a good way.
3/5
Track 8- When You’re
Gone
The light piano instrumentation with that single note really
gives the delicate feel of the track from the beginning, emphasising that this
is another relationship lamenting track. The storytelling aspect of the song’s
lyrics is nice, with the chorus invoking imagery that is passionate and
heartfelt. And with her natural vocal tone we can easily believe that Faith
will miss her lover when he is gone, and when set against the nice drum bass
and light piano it just feels like a nice I love you and if this ends I’ll be
sad number that gives another good relationship prospective.
3.5/5
Track 9- Agony
Whilst the track is another lamentation and so in this sense
the record can perhaps feel a little bit overpowering, the bass of the track
gives a nice up tempo flavouring that gives a nice and cool energy to the
track. And it has that melancholic tone that gives the feeling of agony that
the track needs. The vocals are good as always and the poetic lyrics give that
sense of vulnerability with a simple pop chorus.
3.5/5
Track 10- Let Your
Love Walk In
This sweet track is probably the weakest on the record as an
up tempo flavouring would perhaps be a bit more welcome at this point. However
in terms of the production the steady drum bass and light xylophone sounds give
a freshness and cuteness to the track, with the slight dubstep wobbles in the
verses being a subtle but intriguing element to the song that gives a little
grit to the song. The track is simple and nice in sentiment, although it feels
a little bit done before. But with her vocals Faith gives a nice elegancy to
the track and helps to bring her lyrical idea to the fore.
2.5/5
Track 11- Freedom
This track brings a nice change of pace to the record and
just has that carefree, live your life and love feel to it that gives a great
variety to the record. The track has a soul driven, light feel to it from the
very beginning with the clunky piano instrumentation that leads into clattering
drumbeats and an epic powerful sound in chorus. And this definitely brings the
idea of freedom to a tangible form within the song, with the lyrics being light
and having that sense of the beauty and wonder of love. And with the low vocals
of the verses set against the high key chorus, this is just a fun number that
has a slight summery edge in terms of its light and happy sound, and is just
effortlessly happy emotion inducing within the listener.
4/5
Track 12- Streets of
Glory
The closing track is powerful number that is a
metaphorically driven ballad that really builds as the track goes on. The song
speaks of the end of a relationship and Faith seeing her lover on the “streets
of glory” in which they will be happier. The track really builds in sound, with
nice synth beats, then a powerful drum bass, then orchestral violins and a chorus
of voice that just give that epic, this is the end quality to the end. And whilst
the hook is simple, the track Is lyrically deep and gives that true sense of a
volatile relationship. The vocals are also great here in that Faith doesn’t over
sing the track and really lets the rest of the elements of the song put their
mark on the listener. A really good album end.
Final Review
As far as second albums go this is probably one of the best
in that it has that polish and sense of trying to achieve perfection, and so
sounds more mature and assure d in overall sound. The lyrics are beautifully
poetic and offer a cool observation of life and love in its various forms, and
there is a sense of honesty not only in the lyrics but also in the vocal
performance of Faith. And the production gives a modern sentiment to the record
whilst still retaining past influences and showcasing Faith’s artistry of
looking to the past for inspiration. This is just a such an amazing sophomore
that despite all its success I still feel like it hasn’t had the success it
truly deserves.
9/10
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