While You Can - Lucy Woodward

While I would never dare to say that I had the world’s coolest or most highbrow taste in music, there are certain bands and singers who get me extremely wound up. Westlife, for example. Atomic Kitten. The majority of soap or film stars who get a record deal even though it’s obvious they are merely glorified karaoke singers. The rejects from Pop Idol or X Factor (if the ultimate prize is meant to be a record deal, then how do you justify all the runners ...
...those “favourite lists” on amazon. While I was buying “Harmonium” by Vanessa Carlton, “While You Can” was on one of those lists along with it. I saw several artists on that list I had never heard of, so I downloaded a few tracks from each of them to have a listen. I guess I was in a rare experimental mood that day. Anyway, after listening to a couple of her tracks, I was sold, and ordered a copy of the album straight away.

This album, ... more

While I would never dare to say that I had the world’s coolest or most highbrow taste in music, there are certain bands and singers who get me extremely wound up. Westlife, for example. Atomic Kitten. The majority of soap or film stars who get a record deal even though it’s obvious they are merely glorified karaoke singers. The rejects from Pop Idol or X Factor (if the ultimate prize is meant to be a record deal, then how do you justify all the runners up - and The Cheeky Girls! - ending up with record deals also?) All these people with dubious talent who take no part in the song writing process, and are content to release bland cover after blander cover and somehow repeatedly hit the top ten.

I can accept this, or put up with it at least, until I see someone who has genuine talent, who DOES actually write their own songs (and really good songs at that) and who has a fabulous singing voice, yet hardly anyone appears to have heard of them… someone who deserves to have had FAR more recognition than they have actually achieved . . . that makes me think that life REALLY isn’t fair.

Lucy Woodward is a prime example of what I am talking about. I happened across her myself originally thanks to those “favourite lists” on amazon. While I was buying “Harmonium” by Vanessa Carlton, “While You Can” was on one of those lists along with it. I saw several artists on that list I had never heard of, so I downloaded a few tracks from each of them to have a listen. I guess I was in a rare experimental mood that day. Anyway, after listening to a couple of her tracks, I was sold, and ordered a copy of the album straight away.

This album, released in 2003, is as far as I know Lucy’s only release, although I did read she was meant to be releasing a new album at some point soon. She also wrote Stacie Orrico’s single “More To Life” and even won an award for it. I don’t think any of her songs have been released in the UK and from what I’ve seen, I don’t believe any of them did particularly impressively in the USA. I can’t understand why though, as there is not one bad song on this album. From the moment I put the CD on I was hooked. I didn’t take it out of my player for a good two months and knew the words to pretty much every song in about three days!

“While You Can” showcases a variety of different styles, from slower more ballad-type tunes to more uptempo rockier stuff, and the lyrics cover a wide range of emotions and problems. The opening track “Dumb Girls” for example, a mid tempo slice of pop-rock is a good anthem for those cynics who thought they were different, who thought that a certain someone wouldn’t break their hearts – then found history repeating itself. The next track “Blindsided” is far bouncier and more poppy but unbelievably infectious – all about meeting someone you like and being totally caught off guard by it, evident when she sings “You rocked my world I never saw it coming, got nowhere to hide, and it’s not fair”. I can relate to a lot of songs on this album but the lyrics in this song totally get me for some reason. I guess it’s something we’ve all been through at some stage.

“Is This Hollywood?” is another of my favourite tracks, a rocky tribute to – wait for it! – HOLLYWOOD of all places! I don’t know if it’s based on true experience but it documents her going to LA, ditching her man and not even missing him, being too excited with her new experiences to care. It’s very guitar-led with a fantastic singalong chorus. I find the overall impression of this track very reminiscent of Sheryl Crow’s style.

“What’s Good For Me” is in my opinion the best track on the album closely followed by “Standing”. The former is something I could imagine Michelle Branch singing, it would have fitted in well on “The Spirit Room” – a catchy, midtempo tune with a strong chorus. “Standing” on the other hand is more of a ballad, but has an edge that makes it stand out from the other slow songs about – I’m not sure whether it’s the heartfelt lyrics (about dealing with the aftermath of a broken relationship) or the emotion in her voice as she sings, or maybe both. This is another song I take a little personally as it reminded me of my own big breakup two years ago, in particular the line “your closure is just ripping me wide open”.

After all the soul searching depression of “Standing”, the following track “The Breakdown” provides a stark contrast, another upbeat, uptempo pop rock track with a catchy guitar hook which is basically summing up that life sucks and you need to deal with it (“Do I wish that things were different, I’m wishing away, I won’t point fingers, but the thing is, that it always breaks on down this way”).

I’m not gonna mention every track on the album because I’m not really fond of that reviewing method, so I’ll spare you that. The ones I have mentioned in detail are the standout tracks on the album for me but as I said previously, there isn’t a bad track on there and I can listen straight through without skipping any of the songs – unusual for me! (Don’t get me wrong, there are lot of albums I listen to without skipping tracks but that’s mainly because I can’t be bothered crossing the room to move the song along. The fact I don’t press skip on this particular album is in no way motivated by my usual laziness). I love it especially because the songs are so catchy and I like to turn the volume up full blast and sing along really loudly and in my ears my voice sounds almost GOOD for once – I don’t know why this is, but it really does. Who knows what it must sound like to my poor deafened flatmates though!

Every song on the album has been co-written by Lucy and I like the fact that the lyrics seem a bit more grown up than that of your average songstress. This may be in part due to the fact that Lucy is older than your Avril Lavignes and Ashlee Simpsons of the world (she would have been about 25 when this album was released) and so probably had a bit more maturity to add to her songwriting. Even when she is singing about dealing with that break up in “Standing” there doesn’t seem to be any anger in the lyrics, more resignation, like it is something that she has dealt with many times and has accepted that’s the way life is. There is a similar vibe in the final track “Done” where she sings about someone letting her down but it makes her stronger as a result. (“You took what you needed, I am still breathing… And from the very moment that you hurt me, I realised you really don’t deserve me”) It’s as if rather than letting her anger and frustration out in the lyrics she is instead focussing more on what she is learning from the experience.

If the songs are based on personal experience, then she really is a tough cookie. Songs like “Trust Me (You Don’t Wanna See This” show a side to her where she doesn’t want to settle down just yet and is urging the guy in her life to back off if he knows what’s good for him, and “Getting It On” is a song about a relationship based on sex and nothing else. Hey, that’s girl power for ya!

In addition to her great lyrics and wide range of musical styles, the album is also a great showcase for Lucy’s wonderful voice. Not too sweet and syrupy, it is a strong often husky voice which seems to contain a great deal of emotion and adapts to suit every song on the album, whether it is fast or slow, rocky or mellow. It’s hard to find a good voice comparison – Sheryl Crow again, perhaps? I’d say her voice was better than Sheryl’s though.

Many songs on the album were co-written and produced by John Shanks, who has also been behind songs by Kelly Clarkson and Michelle Branch, so will probably hear some similarities to both of these artists. As I like both Branch’s and Clarkson’s music, this is no bad point in my eyes. I would say if you are a fan of either artist, you’ll probably be a fan of Lucy’s too! So don’t let all her talent go to waste – don’t let the Westlifes of the world win!

“While You Can” is available for £9.99 from Amazon.co.uk (Used and New from £3.75) 

...less