Guess whose back... Yep, I've had my two months off and (homework forbidding), will be back in the ...
Guess whose back... Yep, I've had my two months off and (homework forbidding), will be back in the writing mood. I have plenty of new things to talk about...
Member since:03.11.2001
Reviews:115
Members who trust:67
My music taste has really varied over the past few years. I've gone through a pop stage, a dance stage and I've gone through a rather odd euro trash pop stage ( does anyone remember Corona - I'd love to know ). At the moment though I am trapped between two very different music tastes and they are between two albums. First is Dido and 'No Angel' and Daft Punk 'Discovery'. I know they are very different. I have already written about the latter so it is only fair that I comment on the former. So here is what I think of the Dido album.
I heard Dido for the first time way back in 2000 when her song 'Here With Me' was floating around. I thought it was very catchy but although I heard it a few times I didn't here of her again - I thought her name was Adido at this time. Then all of a sudden her name - now I knew it was Dido - on an Eminem track called Stan. Now I am not an Eminem fan - ooh very controversial - but this track was great and I really liked it and I raved about Dido's contribution to the song. I soon found out it was a track called Thankyou and it was riding high in the USA. My older Brother knew what I was talking about and bought the album 'No Angel' on cheap - it had already been on sale a
few months without recognition. After a few listens I too invested the now newly re-packaged Dido album.
Her style of music isn't what I usually like but her smooth, influential voice is one of the best in the buisness - Mariah Careys shrill of a voice is no where near Ms Dido Armstrong. The song 'Here With Me' was out now and I was really into the track as was many other people. This album shot to number 1 for 4 weeks and the track was at number 4 - if the album wasn't so popular it would have been number 1. And I can see why it is number 1. The album was awesome and I loved every track. Not one track is annoying or bland or the 'odd one out' as is the case with some albums.
The first track is 'Here With Me' and despite its airplay the track is a star with Didos strong and beautiful voice behind it, it makes Whitney Houston seem out of puff. But there are other tracks which are fantastic not to mention 'Hunter' which if the album wasn't so wide-spread would have reached higher than its rather mediocre 17 in the charts. Further down the album is one of my favourite tracks. 'Thankyou' is in comparison to some songs around very basic and simple but thanks - forgive the pun - to Dido's fantastic voice she pulls it off brilliantly. The next two tracks 'Slide' and 'Honestly OK' are also fantastic. 'Slide is a great way to show off Didos incredible voice while 'Honestly OK' is a more upbeat track with some influences from brother Rollo from Faithless. The semi-title track 'I'm no Angel' is also excellent and also shows off her fantastic voice and addictive but easy melodies. One of the best things about this album is that she wrote or co-wrote all of the tracks which is very rare nowadays. This includes the last bonus track which I think is the best on the album. I dont know if anyone agrees but 'Take My Hand' has everything to be a massive hit. Despite being 6 minutes long the track has everyting. An addictive beat, rhythmic melodies, a fantastic singer and even better lyrics. If the track was maybe shortened then this would be almost a sure-fire big hit!
So I have praised the album to the highest extent what now. Well earlier this year I got to see Dido in the flesh as I saw her in concert in Manchester. The venue was small but she wasn't deterred and put on a fantastic performance. Each track was a gem as she revealed why she is such a class live act. She is also a really nice person and often joked between tracks too. She performed nearly every album track to perfection and even through in a couple of new songs which could be on the next album - if she keeps up the quality I know where my £15 will be going.
Now what is to stop Ms Armstrong to have a number 1. Her songs a A-Class and she is a diamond. She is getting big in the USA too. Her album has just reached number 1 while 'Thankyou' - if my sources are correct - reached number 4. Her album over here is 4 times platinum and is the biggest seller of the year beating off Travis, Hear'say and Steps for number 1 glory in the end of year charts.
To tell you what I thought about the album in figures I shall devise my own scoring system - enjoy!
TRACK RATING
1 HERE WITH ME * * * * * 2 HUNTER * * * * * 3 DONT THINK OF ME * * * * 4 MY LOVERS GONE * * * (AND A HALF) 5 ALL YOU WANT * * * * 6 THANKYOU * * * * * 7 SLIDE * * * * * 8 HONESTLY OK * * * * * 9 ISOBEL * * * (AND A HALF) 10 I'M NO ANGEL * * * * 11 IT'S MY LIFE * * * (AND A HALF) 12 TAKE MY HAND * * * * * * (YES THATS 6)
There isn't much more to say apart from - I was one of the first people to hear of her!
P.S She fully deserved that 'Best Newcomer award' at the European MTV awards!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: Great consistency of high quality-lyrics, a few styles incorporated, contains some excellent moments in music history (namely the 'Stan' excerpt) Disadvantages: A few weak tracks, some tracks are nearly identical to others, sounds boring first-time through, no positive thoughts
![No Angel (UK Edition) [ECD] - Dido](http://imagesb.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/normal/811/product-5097811.jpg)
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Nov 6th, 2001
(Nov 11th, 2001)
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