Album- Dance Love Pop
Artist- Agnes
Swedish pop singer Agnes has been in the music industry
since 2005 after winning that year of the Swedish version of Pop Idol. Yet the
singer really became a major success in 2009 with the release of her hit single
‘Release Me’ that has sold over 900,000 copies worldwide. Yet the whilst the
singer had the odd follow up hit in certain territories, her star has seemingly
gone back to her original pop status, as she only seems to be gaining
commercial success in her native country Sweden. Yet based on her proper
internationally released album that saw her come back to the music stage, is
this actually an artist that deserves to be much bigger than she is in terms of
success?
Track 1- Release Me
Agnes’ biggest hit to date, Release Me is a vibrant dance
pop tune that finds the singer blending heartfelt and emotional lyrics and
vocals with a get yourself on the dance floor now sound. Lyrically the track
finds the singer wishing her lover to set her free as she knows the
relationship isn’t right, but she still wants and loves him and so can’t set
herself free. The heartbreak but almost hopeful lyrical content gives the song
a commanding presence in that in just focusing on the lyrics alone you could
have easily taken this song to be a ballad. Agnes gives us a smooth and
powerful vocal performance that is better than other dance pop songs in that it
has this glamorous and classy quality, with the singer’s voice having an airy
tone in the chorus through the use of vocal layering that makes things very
appealing and catchy. The production features this vibrant blend of a heavy
bass, stirring strings and great dance beats that just gives the song a
polished but fun quality that will get you wanting to sing along and dance
along, and so whilst this is in many ways a typical dance pop tune, the songs
different elements really come together to create a glamorous, emotional and
fun track that is a deserved worldwide hit.
4/5
Track 2- On and On
On and On was the albums lead single in Sweden and finds the
singer once again getting us on the dance floor, but this time she is in a much
happier frame of mind. The lyrics of the song find the singer focusing on the
idea of how the world is a crazy place but you can cope with love, and she
tells this guy that she really loves him and her love will continue forever.
The song is lyrically sweet and structured well, with a catchy chorus that is
made even better by Agnes’ smooth vocals that are full of energy and conveys
this sense of love very nicely. However the problem for me with this track is
that the production lets it down, as the dance beats are vibrant with this
steady back beat, but the song doesn’t have that quality sheen of the previous
track, and so if possible listen to the UK edit of this song, has that features
a slightly different sound which is much better.
3.5/5
Track 3- Love Me
Senseless
Love Me Senseless as more of a fine tuned dance sound that
sounds better than the previous track. Here we find the singer once again in
another loved up state as she asks her man to love her senseless, because he is
like a dream to her. The lyrics are slightly clichéd but the singer light vocal
tone makes things feel less clichéd and more believable, with the middle
section nicely showing off both the fragility and the power of her voice very
powerfully. The song once again blends prominent dance rhythms with stirring
strings, and the club beat that acts as the backbone of the track makes this
feel like a forceful but euphoric number, and so this song lacks originality
but is fun and vibrant enough to be a nice dance song.
3.5/5
Track 4- How Do You
Know
Based around a ‘da da do da’ hook, How Do You Know is more
of a straightforward pop song with a slight bubble gum pop edge. The song finds
the singer lyrically and vocally in more of a delicate frame of mind, as she is
scared of life and doesn’t understand the idea of love, and questions how you
can know if you are really in love. The songs message offers a nice change of
pace in the record, but the chorus feels to repetitive, and at times the singer
can come across as a bit of a whiny girl. The vocal performance is light and
fragile and so feels very in tune with the lyrical content, although the
breathy quality of the background vocals feels a bit too unoriginal. Production
wise the song features simple guitar strumming and snappy pop beats that gives
this airy sound to the track that makes this a chilled tune, but it doesn’t
excite you in the way the first few tracks really did.
2.5/5
Track 5- I Need You
Now
Things are taken down to a softer and musically organic
state with this mid tempo pop ballad that finds the singer going back to this
state of being powerfully in love. Here we find Agnes telling her lover how
much she needs and wants him, with the singer giving us a soft vocal
performance that is layered with this sweet but also pleading, emotional tone.
The track utilises a mixture of strings and simple guitar strumming to give the
song this potent edge, and so this is a nice track that shows a different side
to Agnes, and it is a shame that this song had to be remixed into a dance
format for the UK release.
3.5/5
Track 6- Look at Me
Now
We are taken back to an up tempo dance state of mind with
this track that finds the singer firmly moving on from a relationship.
Lyrically the track is based in the idea of this relationship ending where
Agnes gave her all to this man, but now things have ended she is doing great
and this guy should just look at her, as he thought she would be a wreck. The positivity of the song is infectious, but
overall the lyrics don’t feel like anything we haven’t heard from other
artists. This is perhaps because although the vocals are powerful and emphasise
the freedom aspect of the lyrics, the vocals don’t have the forceful quality
that is really need for this to be a really great break up anthem. The
production features slightly more of Euro pop sound with the dance beat, and
the track also has these hand clapping rhythms that make the song feel a little
unique. It is a nice dance song, just not that original.
2.5/5
Track 7- Don’t Pull
Your Love Out
Don’t Pull Your Love Out has a slight dance hall feel with
the production, and finds the singer giving us another love based tune that
offers a look at a different type of relationship. The singer asks her lover
not to pull his love out and give up on the relationship, as she just wants to
love him and knows they will be great together, as she believes in them so
strongly. The track is nicely in the way the vocal builds towards the powerful
bridge, and the emotional intensity increases in a way that makes the song feel
believable. However, the lyrical quality of the track is slightly poor as there
is too much repetition, and the concept feels too simple to command the
listener’s attention in an exciting way. The funky dance groove of the
production is nice but also perhaps a bit too simple and typical of the dance
genre, and so this is another offering from the singer that once again suffers
from lack of originality or an attention grabbing quality, and so by this point
it seems that this factor is the singers main downfall with the whole record.
3/5
Track 8- Open Up Your
Eyes
Agnes gives us another track that offers the record a bit of
musical diversity, as Open Up Your Eyes has a slight 1980’s pop feel to it.
Lyrically the track finds the singer wishing for a man to pay attention and
realise that they would be great together, with the track having a cool honesty
even if it does go through the clichés, and acts as a sort of anthem for all
the guys and girls who have really fancied a friend but have stayed in the
friend zone. The singer gives us a smooth vocal performance that nicely conveys
the songs begging quality, making us really believe that she wants this guy. The
funky groove and snappy beats of the production make this a simple pop track
that has a cool dance around, would sound good in a teen movie vibe that is
infectious.
3.5/5
Track 9- Sometimes I
Forget
Things are slowed down for this simple pop ballad which acts
as an ode to Agnes love for this guy, with the singer lyrically conveying the
sentiment of how she sometimes forgets to really express her feelings, but he
should just know that she really does love him. The track nicely employs a
mixture of French and English, and finds the singer giving us a pure vocal
performance that shows of the singers voice in a grand way. The songs
production features a simple back beat and stirring strings for a nice pop
ballad sound that isn’t unique but which still works and sounds powerful enough
to leave some form of impression on the listener.
3.5/5
Track 10- Big Blue
Wall
The record ends on a simple ballad that is a bit more potent
than the previous track and finds the singer in a fragile frame of mind. Here
the singer expresses her feelings of being fragile and not wanting to be hurt
by love, and so she can just build herself this wall and maybe one day she
might fall in love. The lyrics once again feel to prominently clichéd, but with
the singers powerful voice she commands the song and gives the song this
essence of delicacy. The steady rhythm of the production and the way the sound
builds is great, with the use of a choir within the last choruses giving the
song that final kick that makes this a good song to finish the record with.
3.5/5
Final Review
Dance Love Pop lives up to its title and finds the singer
giving us cool musical offerings that will get you moving and which finds the
singer always giving us the best vocally. The tracks are for the most part
produced well, and Agnes definitely commands the album with a vocal presence
that shows exactly why she won Swedish pop idol. However, the album largely
suffers musically because of clichéd statements and a lack of original flair
that would make the record stand out, and so whilst she may have had a great
first international single, this album just doesn’t quite measure up to being
something that could have true, worldwide commercial success.
5.5/10
Best Track- Release
Me
Worst Track- How Do
You Know
No comments:
Post a Comment