DIVINE DISCONTENT
Sixpence None the Richer
(Reprise/ Warner)
RATING: three and a half
Here’s a band that’s hobbled by the very same thing that makes it soar: in this case, lead singer Leigh Nash. It’s Leigh’s voice that made “Kiss Me” the love song staple of 1997, but it’s hard to court credibility when you’re a pixie-cute vocalist with a girlishly sweet voice and a band that has a penchant for saccharine sweet pop hits.
Too bad, because Sixpence None the Richer have never really been about sweet pop. Divine Discontent, their follow-up to their breakthrough self-titled album, is in the same danger as its predecessor of being dismissed—not because there are no standout songs, but precisely because there are tracks whose catchiness threatens to obliterate the rest of the album.
“Breathe Your Name,” the first single off Divine Discontent, is a light and airy piece, opening with jangly guitars that open up into a sugary melody. With Leigh’s voice singing lines like, “You are in my heart/ I can feel your beat/ And you move my mind/ from behind the wheel/ When I lose control/ I can only breathe your name,” this single is destined for the same fate as their biggest hit, “Kiss Me,” overplayed on the radio and on video, but still just stopping short of being cloying. Leigh also uses her charm on a remake of the Crowded House classic “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” which, like their remake of The La’s “There She Goes,” was a faithful rendition that seemed just that much more lightweight than the original with her voice.
Is this such a bad thing? Perhaps not, and Sixpence know better than to knock it when they know it’s also their ticket to the top of the charts. But the truth is that the group has always been about more than just heavenly pop hits. Their work—from 1994’s The Fatherless and the Widow through 1995’s This Beautiful Mess and their eponymous breakthrough album—was darker and more poetic than their hits suggested, really more art pop than pop art. Their biggest hit to date may be a song called “Kiss Me,” but their discography is filled with titles like “Love, Salvation, the Fear of Death,” and “Within a Room Somewhere.”
There’s nothing wrong with falling in love with “Breathe Your Name” or “Don’t Dream It’s Over” or any of Sixpence’s lovely pop songs, but delve through Divine Discontent and you’ll find such surprisingly substantial songs like the lyrical “Tension is a Passing Note” and the soaring “Like a Million Parachutes.” Although Leigh’s voice remains as sweet as ever, on these and other tracks she uses it to hint at a vague sadness, with astonishing, heartbreaking results.
Here’s an album that will exceed your expectations. Buy it for the sweet hits, but beware that it’s just sugarcoating on a collection of 13 songs that will prove to be deeper, heavier, and far more satisfying than you’d think.—Kristine Fonacier
(Reprise/ Warner)
RATING: three and a half
Here’s a band that’s hobbled by the very same thing that makes it soar: in this case, lead singer Leigh Nash. It’s Leigh’s voice that made “Kiss Me” the love song staple of 1997, but it’s hard to court credibility when you’re a pixie-cute vocalist with a girlishly sweet voice and a band that has a penchant for saccharine sweet pop hits.
Too bad, because Sixpence None the Richer have never really been about sweet pop. Divine Discontent, their follow-up to their breakthrough self-titled album, is in the same danger as its predecessor of being dismissed—not because there are no standout songs, but precisely because there are tracks whose catchiness threatens to obliterate the rest of the album.
“Breathe Your Name,” the first single off Divine Discontent, is a light and airy piece, opening with jangly guitars that open up into a sugary melody. With Leigh’s voice singing lines like, “You are in my heart/ I can feel your beat/ And you move my mind/ from behind the wheel/ When I lose control/ I can only breathe your name,” this single is destined for the same fate as their biggest hit, “Kiss Me,” overplayed on the radio and on video, but still just stopping short of being cloying. Leigh also uses her charm on a remake of the Crowded House classic “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” which, like their remake of The La’s “There She Goes,” was a faithful rendition that seemed just that much more lightweight than the original with her voice.
Is this such a bad thing? Perhaps not, and Sixpence know better than to knock it when they know it’s also their ticket to the top of the charts. But the truth is that the group has always been about more than just heavenly pop hits. Their work—from 1994’s The Fatherless and the Widow through 1995’s This Beautiful Mess and their eponymous breakthrough album—was darker and more poetic than their hits suggested, really more art pop than pop art. Their biggest hit to date may be a song called “Kiss Me,” but their discography is filled with titles like “Love, Salvation, the Fear of Death,” and “Within a Room Somewhere.”
There’s nothing wrong with falling in love with “Breathe Your Name” or “Don’t Dream It’s Over” or any of Sixpence’s lovely pop songs, but delve through Divine Discontent and you’ll find such surprisingly substantial songs like the lyrical “Tension is a Passing Note” and the soaring “Like a Million Parachutes.” Although Leigh’s voice remains as sweet as ever, on these and other tracks she uses it to hint at a vague sadness, with astonishing, heartbreaking results.
Here’s an album that will exceed your expectations. Buy it for the sweet hits, but beware that it’s just sugarcoating on a collection of 13 songs that will prove to be deeper, heavier, and far more satisfying than you’d think.—Kristine Fonacier
posted by Kristine F. | Sunday, December 01, 2002
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home