by Mikey (Gillingham, Kent, UK) - Each week I preview an album which I think deserves a listen to and if it's worth to buy, I will cater for all tastes of music from R'n'B to Rock, Hip hop and Pop. At the end of the page, you will find all future album releases. With Xmas round the corner not many artists are releasing new material after December 8th, new album releases will resume at the end of January 2004.
Liberty X - Being Somebody
Release Date: 3 November 2003
Album number two for Liberty X, 'Being Somebody' is a set that glides in on the back of a fair few perfectly placed, Liberty-sized successes. Not least of these was the 'Being Nobody' track the band recorded for bootleg renovator Richard X, a track that melded the Human League's 'Being Boiled' to Chaka Khan's 'Ain't Nobody'. Naturally the track figures here as do fifteen other lovingly sculptured musical confections.
The perfect band for interpreting and communicating the UK pop scene and the way it moves forward in these pre-Neptunes times, Liberty X are adaptable enough to be able to let loose straight-up ballads, squelchy twenty-third century electro and up-tempo party grooves without missing a beat. Progressive, brilliantly executed and almost robot-esque in it's pristine production, some day all records will be made this way.
But, till then, 'Being Somebody' will lead the UK pop field by a long, long way.
The late, unlamented Hear'say may have won the Popstars crown, but it's Liberty X who have proved the more durable act and this album, the follow-up to last year's multi-platinum Thinking It Over, proves there's still plenty of gas in the tank.
Kicking off with a rather cheesy and unnecessary intro, the album moves straight into high gear with the monster hit singles, Jumpin' and Being Nobody, and rarely lets the pace flag throughout the remaining 13 tracks.
Of course it's been put together by a veritable army of arrangers, writers and producers but, unusually, this clinical approach results in some of the most memorable pop tunes you are ever likely to hear.
Two tracks, in particular, stand out. Everybody Cries is a high-calibre ballad that would make an excellent Bond theme (certainly better than Madonna's dire effort for Die Another Day) and The Poet has a pleasingly folky feel, with an underlay of African-style drumming, that contrasts perfectly with the pop-based R&B that pervades much of the album.
Elsewhere, Close Your Eyes is the kind of funky pop number Michael Jackson used to produce in his sleep but would kill for today; Story of My Life and Take Me Home have a pleasingly Latin lilt and I'll Be Remembering has a slinky, sexy R 'N' B groove reminiscent of TLC. Let Go rocks out, providing welcome variation to the pace of the album and maybe is a power ballad that showcases fine vocal performances from Kelli and Kevin.
There's clearly more talent in this outfit than might have been expected. One especially hopeful sign for the band's future development is the emergence of Tony as a songwriter. Watcha Doin' Tonight may bear a passing resemblance to a Christina Aguilera number but it's a stomping dance floor filler in its own right. It also provides an intriguing commentary on the ordinary lives that the band have left behind, although the slight hint of condescension to the band's fans should be worrying. Losing touch with the concerns of the fanbase may be an inevitable by-product of the cocoon of celebrity the band now finds itself in, but it has proved the downfall of countless pop acts.
That's for the future however. Right now this should be acknowledged as a major achievement, perhaps the best pure pop album since The Spice Girls' debut. A guilty pleasure, maybe, but where's the harm in that?
8/10
Tracklisting
1. Intro (Being Somebody)
2. Jumpin
3. Being Nobody
4. Everybody Cries
5. Watcha Doin' Tonight
6. The Poet
7. I'll Be Remembering
8. The Last Goodbye
9. Let Go
10. Forever
11. Close Your Eyes
12. I Just Wanna
13. Impossible
14. Take Me Home
15. Story Of My Life
16. Maybe
Album Release Schedule
November 17
The Beatles - Let It Be: Naked
Blazin' Squad - Now Or Never
Busted - A Present For Everyone
Michael Jackson - Ones
Ronan Keating - Turn It Up
Kylie Minogue - Body Language
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Greatest Hits
Cliff Richard - Cliff At Christmas
Britney Spears - In The Zone
Various Artists - Now That's What I Call Music! 56
November 24
Nelly Furtado - Folklore
Enrique Iglesias - Seven
Girls Aloud - Sound Of The Underground
Javine - Surrender
Lemar - Dedicated
Alex Parks - Introduction
Pet Shop Boys - PopArt (1985-2003)
Westlife - Turnaround
December 1
D-Side - Real World
Will Young - Friday's Child
December 8
Alicia Keys - The Diary Of Alicia Keys
