Diva - Annie Lennox

I’m a child of the 80’s. Well, alright then, a teenager of the 80’s. But that does mean that the music of the 80’s and 90’s is the most significant for me personally and holds the most meaning.

Among the most influential bands of the 80’s for me were the Eurythmics, the dynamic combination of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. Admittedly, one of the reasons that I held the Eurythmics so dear, was that Annie Lennox is Scottish, originally ...
...the band’s obvious talent with such hits as “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”, and “Love is a Stranger”. It’s quite difficult to attach a label to the Eurythmics as their offerings were so varied and versatile.

At the end of the 80’s, beginning of the 90’s Annie turned her attention to launching her solo career following the birth of her daughter. The result was the release of her first solo album “Diva”, which has received critical ... more

I’m a child of the 80’s. Well, alright then, a teenager of the 80’s. But that does mean that the music of the 80’s and 90’s is the most significant for me personally and holds the most meaning.

Among the most influential bands of the 80’s for me were the Eurythmics, the dynamic combination of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. Admittedly, one of the reasons that I held the Eurythmics so dear, was that Annie Lennox is Scottish, originally born in Aberdeen. That of course was not withstanding the band’s obvious talent with such hits as “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”, and “Love is a Stranger”. It’s quite difficult to attach a label to the Eurythmics as their offerings were so varied and versatile.

At the end of the 80’s, beginning of the 90’s Annie turned her attention to launching her solo career following the birth of her daughter. The result was the release of her first solo album “Diva”, which has received critical acclaim the world over. The album reached No. 1 in the UK album charts and deservedly stayed there for well over a year.

So, the album itself includes:-

WHY 4:54

“How many times do I have to try to tell you
That I’m sorry for the things I’ve done”

This is a lovely soft soulful yearning love song. Somehow the messages contained in the lyrics remind me of the book “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus”. Simply because my perception of this song is that it’s all about how communication between men and women, more often than not lovers, is misunderstood and misconstrued. The instrumental reminds me of waterfalls, which is quite fitting because tears are mentioned!

9/10

WALKING ON BROKEN GLASS 4:13

“Now every one of us was made to suffer
Everyone of us was made to weep
But we’ve been hurting one another
And now the pain has cut too deep …”

This track shifts the tempo of the album onto a more upbeat footing, and has a slightly more pop soul feel to it. The lyrics are very poignant for me, as I remember a relationship ending when I first heard this song which is all about how the best things mean nothing “if I can’t have you”; and that empty, bereft feeling as a relationship reaches the end. Personally though, I don’t think it does Annie’s voice justice, though it’s a good all round tune.

8/10

PRECIOUS 5:08

“Precious little angel
Take a look at what you’ve done
Well I thought my time was over
But it’s only just begun”

A beautiful soulful song delivered with emotion. I can find no evidence to support my theory, but I suspect the lyrics for this track were inspired with the birth of her first daughter, as Annie Lennox had suffered the tragedy of giving birth to a stillborn son a few years earlier. The emotion of the singing and the beauty behind the words make me think it is only an even such as this that could have created a song like Precious.

8/10

LEGEND IN MY LIVING ROOM 3:45

“I found myself in a lonely place with a suitcase full of dreams
And I soon grew up to realise what living in the doghouse means”

Probably my least favourite track on the album, I can’t quite decide where it fits in. The music itself feels a little “flat” and uninspired, kind of dull and uninteresting! The lyrics suggest dealing with the loneliness of adolescence into adulthood perhaps. That point in our lives when we think we know it all, yet we know nothing.

4/10

COLD 4:24

“Dying is easy it’s living that scares me to death
I could be so content hearing the sound of your breath”

Another sweet soulful love song, my own opinion is this is the song for which Annie is deserving of the “Diva” title. It demonstrates the strength, breadth, range and tone of her talented vocals and is delivered with such passion. The lyrics themselves are sublime and appear to be about unrequited love or the kind of love where one person is more dependent than the other partner. The kind of song that’s beautiful to listen to on dark winter nights in front of the fire with someone very special … that might lead to other things!

10/10

MONEY CAN’T BUY IT 5:00

“All the money in the world won’t buy you peace of mind
You can have it all but you still won’t be satisfied”

Shifting slightly upbeat, this song seems to have slight “jazzy” undertones to me. Quite weak in comparison to some of the other offerings here, but still good nonetheless. As the title suggests, this is all about how money can’t buy you love, that material possessions are “nothing” if you don’t have love in your life. Well, I agree! Enough said?

6/10

LITTLE BIRD 4:52

“I look up to the little bird
That glides across the sky
He sings the clearest melody
It makes me want to cry”

Still on an upbeat pop rock style theme, this track has an eight beat backing track to it that is reminiscent to me of the Ultravox/Human League type bands of the 80’s. I’m not that keen on it, as it comes across as being very synthetic and isn’t really suited to Annie Lennox’s voice. The lyrics themselves are about wanting to “take flight” and leave all our problems behind.

5/10

PRIMITIVE 4:19

“Sweetheart
Take me to bed
That’s where all our prayers are said”

A song that demonstrates the beauty of Annie Lennox’s voice that comes across as very “pure”. The lyrics suggest the hopes and dreams of a new relationship and a new love discovered.

8/10

STAY BY ME 6:28

“And I don’t care if there is no tomorrow
When I could die here in your arms”

A haunting melody is the only apt description that I could conjure up for this song. It’s truly unique and complements Annie’s voice beautifully. The lyrics suggest that subliminal happiness that stems from “true love”, where nothing else in the world matters except that moment in time. I love it!

9/10

THE GIFT 5:03

“Darling don’t you understand
I feel so ill at ease
The room is full of silence and it’s getting hard to breathe”

The music really disappoints me on this track because I adore the lyrics. It’s weak and flat. Yet I adore the lyrics perhaps because right at this moment in time they are truly meaningful to me. They are suggestive of how people who once loved each other deeply grow so far apart and in an effort to make things work they compromise themselves to such an extent they are no longer able to be themselves. Sad, but true.

8/10

KEEP YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL 2:17
Words & Music by Al Dubin / Harry Warren

“What's cute about little cutie?
It's her beauty, not brains...
Old father time will never harm you
if your charm still remains...”

Ending on an upbeat note with this song from 1933 originally written for the film Roman Scandals, it does demonstrate just how talented Annie Lennox is as it’s not the easiest song to sing!

9/10

My personal opinion is that this is a timeless classic, a great first solo release from an incredibly talented singer/songwriter. However, I feel that Annie Lennox may have shown a little arrogance to entitle the album “Diva”. Shouldn’t the title of “Diva” be earned and not taken? That’s not to say that she should not be considered a “Diva” and her continued solo success is testament to this.

Annie Lennox did receive some criticism for the use of synthesised keyboards on the album, but I don’t think it impairs the over quality in any way. In fact, Annie Lennox wrote the lyrics for all of the songs herself with the exception of Track 4 “Legend in my Living Room” that was a joint effort with Peter-John Vittese. Keep Young and Beautiful words and music by Al Dubin/Harry Warren.

My overall conclusion is that this is a first class unique offering for a new solo artist. The songs themselves could be labelled pop/soul and the range and depth of upbeat/mellow tracks complement the talent that IS Annie Lennox. It’s no surprise then that critics demonstrated enthusiastic approval of this album and sung the praises of the artist herself. It’s been in my CD collection for quite some time, and finds its way onto the CD player with stunning regularity.

Definitely worth a listen.

Available from Amazon for £7.99 new/£2.49 used – it’s a bargain.
Ebay from £0.99.

Thanks for reading.

Cheers

© Christina ;-) x
 

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