Saturday 31 October 2009

Not just a pretty face...

So...Finnish idols contestant Anna Abreu returned last week with her third album, Just A Pretty Face, and being a huge fan of first single, Music Everywhere, I decided to invest in the album, to find that it's one of the most brilliant pop albums of 2009!!! So here is my brief review.

1) Music Everywhere --> Absolutely fantastic song, one of the cheesiest, 'in-yer-face', yet brilliant pop songs of the year, this MUST be released in the UK, the Disney crowd would love it, yet she brings her own attitude to it too, and the lyrics are just too hilarious to miss! 10/10

2) Liquid --> A thumping electro bass, this is very different to Music Everywhere, a lot darker in sound, but also very good. 8.5/10

3) Aural Exam --> Sounds like something Mira Craig would sing in all honesty, it sounds very tribal somehow, yet with Anna's expected pop charm and cheeky lyrics. Good but not amazing. 7.5/10

4) Impatient --> The token ballad, this is absolutely gorgeous and showcases Anna's voice perfectly. The piano melody isn't too dissimilar to Britney's Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman, but this song feels more authentic to me somehow. Gorgeous. 10/10



5) Mr Perfect --> A more subtle intro leading to one of the rockier influenced pop/dance tracks on the album. Very good but not my favourite. 8.5/10

6) 7 Days, 7 Nights --> Very catchy again, has some bizarre vocal effects half way through the song which make it rather standout. Another infectious chorus but not single material. 8/10

7) Letting Me Go --> This is again a very different type of song. An almost minimalist electro dance bass gives way to another brilliant chorus complete with almost operatic backing vocals in the chorus which make it a bit more original. Very good. 9/10

8) Shine --> On first listen, this rather reminded me of a Timbaland production with the thudding bass and the slightly darker feel to the song. I absolutely love this though, the piano in it is excellent and the broken chords make it sound like something out of a Disney horror film. 9/10

9) Slam --> One of the more out and out pop songs on here, this is a fast paced stormer with another highly memorable hook, but lacks something to make it one of my absolute favourites. 7.5/10

10) Capital C --> Now I love this even though I probably shouldn't. It sounds like an ode to cheerleading and sounds like Anna may have written it especially for High School Musical 4. Like Music Everywhere, it's charmingly young sounding but with a slightly more mature edge than the run of the mill Disney popstar. The 'We're cool with a capital C' after the chorus really adds to the feel, and this is probably her best choice for single #2. 9.5/10

11) 2nd Chance --> Slowing down the tempo a bit, although not to ballad levels, this wouldn't sound out of place on a Saturdays album, in fact, it would fit very well onto the Wordshaker album. Good song but not one of the best on here. 8/10

12) Do Avesso --> Love love love this! Showing off her ability of singing in Portugese, this new-age pop track owes as much to Enya as it does to Timbaland with another very heavy bassline yet very soft vocals, made even more dainty by the warm Portugese vocals. Very nice hybrid type song, excellent way to finish the album. 10/10



Overall --> This is just fantastic, an absolutely unexpected surprise, I was expecting an absolute mess if I'm honest but this is an incredibly well produced, fresh sounding album that should cement Anna as one of Finland's finest popstars. Highlights for me are Music Everywhere, Impatient, Shine, Captial C and Do Avesso but the whole album is worth a listen, I can't think of many pop fans that wouldn't like at least one or two tracks on here. 10/10

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