Black Cherry - Goldfrapp > Reviews > Remember the name Alison Goldfrapp!

Author's product rating:   

Originality
Lyrics
Quality and consistency of tracks
How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Value for Money

Advantages:	Funky, moody, groovy !
Disadvantages:	Bit of a departure from the first album

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Black Cherry is the second Goldfrapp album, the first being Felt Mountain.

I first heard of Alison goldfrapp when she did guest vocals on the trick abum, maxinquaye. I didn't really pay much attention to her voclas on this album as it really wasn't one of my favourites. She also did vocal work on Orbitals "Snivilisation".

Born in the city of Bath, Alison began studying fine art at Middlesex University before she embarked on a musical career. She finally formed the band Goldfrapp with UK soundtack composer Will Gregory.

Now, let's fast forward to September 2000. The album, "Felt Moutain" appeared on shelves, to much critical acclaim. The album was described as "coffee table" or "dinner music" by the critics, and this was not meant in a disparaging way. Felt Mountain is a gorgeous album, full of wistful, eerie soundtrack, and haunting vocal arrangements. Felt Mountain still ranks as one of my all time favourite albums, and i've seen Golfrapp live twice now. (the first gig, at the Glasgow Cottiers Theatre was one of the most intimate and amazing gigs i've ever been to)

The Album

Black Cherry was released in 2003 to a muted press who seemed to be expecting "Felt Mountain 2". Where Felt Mountain was ethereal and laid back, Black Cherry is in your face sexy and funky. It was certainly a bold change of styles from first to second album, but confidence will come from the half a million album sales that Felt Mountain has generated so far.

The tracks

1. Crystalline green-Sets the tone for the album, introducing the synth/electro approach and making full use of Alisons' voice. A gameplan, then.
2. Train-Similar to strict machine in design as they're both very dance led, quasi Jarre sequenced tracks. Once again, one to liven up a flagging party.
3. Black cherry-The title track. For some reason, this reminds me a bit of Neneh Cherrys(!) 7 seconds. Maybe that's why the songs's called black cherry, or maybe I need a nap?!
4. Tiptoe-is bleepy blippy angular electroclash before the layered strings kick in and eventually ends up sounding like a half-cocked James Bond soundtrack ripoff. The weakest track on the album, but still very good.
5. Deep honey--One of the more chilled out track on the album. I always love it when the strings come out, and this track is sure to apear on "the best chillout album ever 93".
6. Hairy trees-Gorgeous. This is abou the only track on black cherry which could've sat well on felt mountain. The first few seconds are bliss, lots of strings and some lightly vocodered vocals. Possibly the best track on the album.
7. Twist-The tempo picks up again. Very risque vocals;"put your angel face between my legs and knicker lace". Very knowing sexy song, and even a few moans! Has Alison been listening to a lot of french pop recently? The evidence says she has!
8. Strict machine-You may recognise this one from the recent Hugo Boss dark red adverts. "I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love with a strict machine!". Very funky track, and unassuredly sexy. One for the more extrovert ladies out there to dance to! Play this one loud, it's great; think Depeche Mode meets Madonna and you're sorta there!
9. Forever-The love song on the album. Like a glass of champagne, this is nicely chilled. Alison gets to show off her vocal range here.
10. Slippage-The comedown. No lyrics as such, just some breathless moaning. Sounds a touch, umm, dodgy. If you didn'y know, you'd imagine this would be the final track anyway, as it winds down the album.

I must say, this album is greater than the sum of its parts. I didn't really enjoy breaking it down track by track because it's not really a track-led album. Don't get me wrong, the tracks on here are great, but they lose something when you play them individually.
And that's it. Ten tacks at a total running time of 42:58. I must be enjoying this album too much, I just want more. Can we have more tracks on the next album, please?! I'm not in favour of quantity over quality, but I don't imagine quality will ever be a problem for these guys...

Lyrics?

Well, lyrics really aren't the point of the album, as most make little sense (sample: "u feel good, u feel right ,you're so good. tiptoe over me. tears start over. tiptoe over me." from, tiptoe. thats the entire song). If you're looking for poetry, go and listen to Nick Drake or similar.

The Package

Well ,one of the few albms i've bought recently that has lyrics in the insert. Bonus. And it folds out to show Alison on a bed with a wolf(?). Provoking, i'm sure. There's also a picture of, i presume, Alisons legs on the back. Great. The Front cover is a sort of mish mash of Alisons face and two, um, wolves. I'm sure there's something Freudian about that. Anyway, not the best of covers, but who buys cd's on the basis of their packaging anyway?

Conclusion

If you're expecting more of Felt Mountain, you'll be disappointed. This is a much more extrovert album. However, if you like funk music in a French-pop style, you could do a lot worse. This album isn't for everyone, but if you can broaden your mind, you'll like it. Recommended!

EDIT: had to do a quick edit as my track breakdowns haven't all appeared. D'oh! Fixed now...
plus, some of the Alisons came out alsion..bad spellchecker!