Awake And Breathe - B Witched

...releasing two albums B*Witched and Awake and Breathe and eight singles, all of which reached the UK top 20. Their first four single releases actually hit the number one spot in the UK and made them the first Irish group to have their first four singles enter the UK charts at the top.

It is the bands second album 'Awake and Breathe' that I shall be reviewing today after pulling it out from the back of my CD collection and quite enjoying ...
...released in 1999 and peaked at number 5 in the UK charts with it's three single releases going to number 4 number 13 and number 16 respectively. A further track was set to be released as a single but the poor success of the previous three halted this.

Track List

1. If It Don't Fit
2. Jesse Hold On
3. I Shall Be There (feat. Ladysmith Black Mambazo)
4. Jump Down
5. Someday
6. Leaves
more

B*Witched are an Irish girl group consisting of four members Edele Lynch, Keavey Lynch, Lindsay Armaou and Sinead O'Carroll. It is said that the bands name was originally spelt with the asterisk in order to stop confusion with the Swedish black metal band Bwitched from occurring.

The girls enjoyed success as a group between the years 1998 and 2000, releasing two albums B*Witched and Awake and Breathe and eight singles, all of which reached the UK top 20. Their first four single releases actually hit the number one spot in the UK and made them the first Irish group to have their first four singles enter the UK charts at the top.

It is the bands second album 'Awake and Breathe' that I shall be reviewing today after pulling it out from the back of my CD collection and quite enjoying listening to it over the past week. The album was released in 1999 and peaked at number 5 in the UK charts with it's three single releases going to number 4 number 13 and number 16 respectively. A further track was set to be released as a single but the poor success of the previous three halted this.

Track List

1. If It Don't Fit
2. Jesse Hold On
3. I Shall Be There (feat. Ladysmith Black Mambazo)
4. Jump Down
5. Someday
6. Leaves
7. The Shy One
8. Red Indian Girl
9. It Was Our Day
10. My Superman
11. Are You A Ghost?
12. In Fields Where We Lay

Track 1 - If It don't Fit

This track has a strong pop feel emphasised by the heavy beat throughout. The backing track is strong and rather catchy as are the lyrics, which are slightly strange but I suppose in the same way unique and different. The vocals are relatively strong and the harmonies within the track fit the song.
7/10

Track 2 - Jesse Hold On

This was the first single released from the album and has a distinctive Irish feel to it. The beginning of the backing track does make you think of Irish dancing, or it does me anyway. The lyrics are far less obscure than in the last song and are sung very well by all of the girls. The chorus is catchy which is always a bonus and the harmonies consistent.
7/10

Track 3 - I Shall Be There

I shall be there was the second single release from this album and has a much slower tempo than the previous two tracks and the backing track is much subtler. The Irish feel to the song is still there though and compliments the beautiful vocals brilliantly. I think this style of track suits the band the best because it allows their distinctive vocals to permeate through the backing music. The lyrics are also quite pretty to listen to.
9/10

Track 4 - Jump Down

This was the third and final single released from this album. The tempo of this track is more like that in the first two but the backing track has the subtlety of the previous one. This mix seems to work rather well and the lyrics, slightly odd again, really seem to gel with the track and the style of vocals.
8/10

Track 5 - Someday

The lyrics to this track seem more normal than in any of the others so far and the girls perform them very well with some extremely well constructed harmonies. The backing track is another subtle one with a steady beat and some nice musical solos.
9/10

Track 6 - Leaves

The beginning of this track is quite unique on the album and consists of a somewhat electronic sounding yet subtle backing track and near-spoken vocals that sound a little synthesised. The lyrics to the track are relatively sound as are the vocals but there is something about this track that just doesn?t appeal to me.
5/10

Track 7 - The Shy One

This track is not quite up-tempo but not quite the same pace of the slower tracks either. The backing track has a strong beat and a pop feel, which seems to suit the lyrics of the song, which are quite decent to listen to if nothing fantastic.
7/10

Track 8 - Red Indian Girl

Now this track is one of my favourites on the album and tells quite a nice story if you listen to the lyrics. The chorus is strong and relatively catchy, but better still is sung with some lovely harmonies and vocal solos. The backing track is relatively simple but compliments the vocals well rather than overpowering them.
9/10

Track 9 - It Was Our Day

This is another track that I really like and seems to prove my earlier statement that the subtler and less pop like songs suit the band better. The backing track is soft and subtle and allows some lovely vocals to get prime position. The lyrics are quite poignant when you listen to them and overall make for a rather beautiful song to listen to.
10/10

Track 10 - Superman

This track has quite a punchy backing track with a strong steady beat and a far greater pop feel than the last one. The lyrics are decent and sung well by the girls. The harmonies themselves are strong and consistent but the slower tracks are the ones I find myself drawn to more than these more up-beat ones.
8/10

Track 11 - Are You A Ghost?

This track is another soft and subtle one that is more to my taste. In fact this song is my favourite one on the album. The lyrics to this track are again rather poignant and tell a beautiful story of a girl thinking she can see and feel a ghost. The vocals are allowed to shine in this track due to the delicate sound track and the chorus is always one that I seem to remember.
10/10

Track 12 - In Fields Where We Lay

This track has no backing music and the band members themselves harmonising with one another provide the backing track. This style really seems to suit them and this track is very unique to the rest of the album. I won-t say it is brilliant but it certainly is different and very easy to listen to. The lyrics are sound and the vocals prove that the girls do have a quantity of talent.
9/10

As you can see from the analysis above this album isn-t perfect in any respect and to be honest I think that it was a mistake to release the tracks they did as singles. Tracks from the second half of the album would have faired much better in my opinion. Overall I wouldn-t say that this is an album that you must definitely have in your collection but if you can pick it up cheap then you may find a liking for a least a couple of the tracks.  

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