I'd Like Her...If She Lost The Attitude (Be Not Nobody - Vanessa Carlton)

Member Name: BabyGirl*

Product:	Be Not Nobody - Vanessa Carlton
Date:	11/02/03 (278 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good Voice, Piano Can Be Nice, Some Good Styles Of Music

Disadvantages: Gets Very Repetitive After A While, Piano Sound Gets Very Repetitive, Can Be Dull Unless You're In The Mood For It

Lately I’ve found myself rather drawn to a type of music I can’t really describe. Is it pop? Is it indie? Or is it indie pop? Anyway my sister visits America a lot and always ends up buying me tons of CD’s, which have failed to see the light of day in the UK. Anyway on her last visit she bought me four new albums to add to my collection which were Michelle Branch – The Spirit Room, Avril Lavigne – Let Go, Norah Jones – Come Away with Me, and Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody.

Vanessa plays the piano and she knows exactly what she’s doing when it comes to the piano. I think it’s great that she knows how to play an instrument as it separates her from the rest of those pop princesses. When you listen to the album you know for a fact that the piano is not just there for show, but is actually there because this girl can seriously know how to play it.

In interviews though Vanessa seems extremely arrogant which is very irritating as other artists at the same level as her are no where near as arrogant as she is. She comes across as moody and uninteresting, I’ve seen and read interviews of her and they don’t put her across very well.

Vanessa was born in Milford PA, on August 16th 1980. She began singing at a very early age and learnt to play the piano. Her mother was her very first music teacher and helped her study classical composers, as classical music was her passion. She also began to study dance and had her sights on a career as a professional dancer. She got frustrated with dancing and decided to write music for her piano and continued to do so throughout her teens. She then began singing whilst playing the piano and realised she had a natural born talent.

This is a debut and I think it is pretty good. These days’ debuts seem to be blowing it up. I think Vanessa’s style is different to her glitzy pop counterparts, which definitely separates her from the re
st. In a way I think her voice resembles Mandy Moore but she has a much better vocal range. You might think Mandy Moore is an extremely sucky singer but I do have her album (no I didn’t run out and buy it, it was a gift) and I thought Mandy had a good style of singing. I don’t know why I just think Vanessa is quite similar to her but more indie. Her voice is good but can get quite irritating when she adds the whiny element to it.

The album contains a broad range of pop, jazz, rock/indie and also has some classical elements in there somewhere due to Vanessa’s skill of piano playing. I think all these sounds give the album much more originality. Also the guitar sound is very impressive and meshes well with the piano. I do have to admit though this album does get repetitive very fast due to the piano being present on nearly every song.

Like most of those young singers out there, this album was written by Vanessa herself. The only exception is “Paint it black” which is a rolling stones cover. The lyrics are quite deep and meaningful. Not just written for the sake of it. I like most of the lyrics on the album because they do have good meanings to them and can suit a certain mood to.

THE TRACKS~~

Ordinary Day

“He said take my hand, Live while you can, Don't you see your dreams right in the palm of your hand?”

I love this song as it’s produced in a summery, fun, folky kind of a way. A very appropriate opener for the album. The song for some reason reminds me quite a bit of Joni Mitchell. The way in which Vanessa sings is done in the style of Joni Mitchell which suits the gentle vibe of the song. Her style of singing is quite different to her style on the other tracks as it is whinier but this goes well with the music and piano. This song is quite simple with some nice beats and the lovely tune of the piano playing; the song is more based on the piano and violin. The s
tyle in which the piano is played reminds me of the style of “a thousand miles”. The tune is very similar to “a thousand miles” so if you like that song, you’ll like this song too. The live version of this song is also worth listening out for as it’s just Vanessa and her piano, I much prefer it to the original as it’s more of a chill out song without all those beats. 8/10

Unsung

“if only I could get into that corner of your head, where things finally match and meet the standards that you set”

This song is definitely more jazz based. It also has the rock elements in there too. The piano is played in a jazz style and Vanessa’s singing style is whinny but suits the music. This song is the most up-tempo track on the album I would think. I quite like the style in which Vanessa sings this song as it’s really passionate and suits the jazz vibe of the song. I also like the lyrics as they really are worth listening out for. This song though can get a little repetitive and samey after a while, I don’t think it’s one of the best tracks on the album and it is one I tend to skip when I listen to this album, it’s good to listen to a few times but after that it can get quite dull. I think this track is quite different to a lot of songs in the charts at the moment and if you’re not used to listening to music like this you might need for it to grow on you. 6/10

A Thousand Miles

“If I could fall, Into the sky, Do you think time, Would pass me by, 'Cause you know I'd walk, A thousand miles, If I could, Just see you, Tonight”

This is my favourite song on the album. I think it’s absolutely beautiful. Vanessa plays the piano absolutely brilliantly on this song and that is apparent as soon as you hear it. I think it’s a stunning song. This is her debut single in the UK as well as in the US. I can so understand why.
Her voice sounds really good on this track. The lyrics of the song are definitely worth listening out for as they are just lovely. The piano playing really makes this song stand out from the rest. It’s not just another pop song. When I first got the album I played this song over and over because it’s just so wonderful. It’s got the definite ‘American sound’ to it if you get what I mean but that definitely is a good thing. I just love this song as it’s just so passionate and beautiful. It’s always a pleasure to listen to this song. 9/10

Pretty Baby

“pretty baby don't you leave me, I have been saving smiles for you”

First time I heard this song I was addicted, I don’t know why I just fell in love with the tune because it starts off straight away without any boring intro’s but gets on with it straight away. I love the tune of this song and the way Vanessa sings is quite reminiscent to the way she sings on the other tracks so it’s not really anything new. One of the downsides of the song is that it can get very repetitive. To me this is the only thing that brings this song down. I love this song as it is such a gentle and beautiful track. The violin played on this track is just beautiful. The lyrics are also lovely and worth listening to. This is one of those really dreamy songs; I just love listening to it because it is really sweet. I think this is one of my most favourite tracks on the album because it has a lovely melody. 8/10

Rinse

“And if she runs away she fears she won't be followed, what could be the worse than leaving something behind”

This song is a favourite of mine due to its dark and passionate style. The song has the piano playing throughout which is quite reminiscent of the way it is played in “a thousand miles” but the style in which it is used here, is much darker and less up beat. This song is o
ne of my favourites due to its dark style; it’s quite a change from the last two songs, which makes it more enjoyable as it not the same thing over and over. I love her style of singing as it suits the style in which the piano is played throughout the song. This song is for one of the bad mood moments I think, as it isn’t fun or upbeat and more of sad/angry tune. The guitar, which is played in the song, isn’t played in the typical indie style but more of a soft rock style, which goes with the other elements of the song perfectly. 8/10

Sway

“Say you would, say you could, say you'd come and stop the rain”

This song is ok. I like the beats on this song but it isn’t one of the stand out tracks. I found it quite dull and boring because again that familiar piano tune was present here which just made the song a bit too samey. The piano does sound great, which is a good thing about the song and also Vanessa’s voice sounds really good but it’s a bit too simple for my liking as their isn’t anything on this track which stands out and grabs your attention. The tune and melody are likeable but to me they are a bit too simple and boring. I didn’t really like this song to begin with and I still am not really to fond of it but I like it more than I did as it has grown on me. Even though the song is quite a disappointment the lyrics so make up for that. 5/10

Paradise

“And it's one more day in paradise, one more day in paradise, it's one more day in paradise, one last chance to feel alright”

This song begins with the trademark piano sound, which has a bit of a soul feel to it as well as quite a soul feel to. I like this song due to its eerie and haunting sound. It’s quite a different approach to this dark sound on the album but that brings more originality into the album. The song is very slow and sounds sad even when it begins. I do like thi
s song but I feel it can get quite repetitive as well, as the same sound is used over and over again. But this is the only thing that brings this song down. I really like the way Vanessa sings no this song because it’s very haunting and deep which goes perfectly with the sound of the song. I think this song is more deep and meaningful than some of the others as the lyrics are beautiful. 7/10

Prince

“if it all went away, nothin' left to say, would you fight it or would you lay down
at the hand of your God could you see the light, oh my prince can't you see what's been found”

This song is quite a change from the last song as this is much more upbeat unlike the last song which was more dark and mysterious. The beats are very loud and powerful on this song and her singing can also get quite powerful to match the beats. This song to me can get very repetitive, I did like it at first but it just began to irritate me. This song could have been better if it hadn’t been so repetitive and samey. The same elements can be heard over and over which lets the song down in a big way. I think this is one of the weakest songs on the album due to its simplicity and repetitiveness. If you liked some of the darker songs with the heavier beat on the album this song will probably stand out for you but this song was too average for me. 5/10

Paint It Black

“I see a red door and I want it painted black, no colours anymore, I want them to turn black, I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes, I have to turn my head until my darkness goes”

This song is a cover of the Rolling Stones’ song. I haven’t heard the original so I cannot compare the two but this song is very good. Her singing style has that signature rock style to it which goes well the whole style of the song. I think the song is produced in a rock style but not as in the Rolling Stones’ style. This
is more in an indie style, which is the style of Vanessa. This song is extremely powerful and her singing style lives up to that. I wasn’t a fan of this to begin with as it didn’t really match the mood of all the other songs but in the end I just realised it makes the album a lot more original. This song will probably grow on you if you don’t like it begin with but it really is worth listening to. 7/10

Wanted

“More than you'll love, more than you'll hate, more than you'll hold, more than wanted”

When I first heard this song I was quite shocked at how different it was to the other songs. It’s more angst ridden. The complicated piano sound begins straight away adding a lot of originality to the song. Her style of signing is so different is king of shocked me to begin with but this just highlights what a superb voice she has. The song is kept simple with a beautiful piano melody in the background with Vanessa singing her heart out on this emotional track. I love her voice on this track because it’s quite folky but very powerful and loud, this just adds to emotion of the song. This song is definitely one of the best on the album due to its great, original sound and Vanessa’s versatile voice. 8/10

Twilight

“And I will never see the sky the same way and, I will learn to say good-bye to yesterday and, I will never cease to fly if held down and, I will always reach too high cause I've seen, cause I've seen, twilight”

I just love this song, as it’s so gentle yet dark but also very meaningful. It’s quite sweet and gentle yet it’s not soppy. I like this because it’s quite emotional with a lot of feeling. The way Vanessa sings is quite different to the way she sings on some of other tracks as there is much more emotion in her voice on this track which helps the song becomes a lot more passionate. The way the piano is play
ed is quite haunting in a sense as the whole persona of the song is dark and melancholic. I think this song suits my mood at the moment as its dark and rainy outside! I liked this song the first time I heard it because of the way in which it was produced, not a bouncy, happy song but much more serious but this is the most likeable thing about the song. 8/10

OVERALL~~

I liked this when I first got but to be honest I haven’t listened to it since as I feel Michelle Branch, Norah Jones and Avril Lavigne are miles better. She just seems quite arrogant which put me off her music slightly. Her music style also gets really boring, really quickly.

Some of the songs are quite downbeat and very angst-ridden but the upbeat songs make up for that. Sometimes the same sound is found on a lot of the tracks, which is quite a disadvantage, I think many people would be put off by that.

In some songs I felt a similar piano sound was used. It got very repetitive. The tunes are certainly likeable but the fact that they are used a bit too much is a disadvantage to the album. Vanessa’s style of playing the piano is very good, but on some tracks it feels to similar to the style in which she was playing it on say the last track.

I think anyone could enjoy this album, as it’s a mix of happy, upbeat tunes and some dark, melancholic songs. This album is a mix of several different styles so I know it will stand out to an array of people. If you’re more into upbeat and fun music this might not be for you but if you’re into the likes of Fiona Apple, Beth Orton, Avril Lavigne, Norah Jones and Michelle Branch you’ll probably love this as well. It is worth getting but only if you’re into this new trend of young women singing about their lives and playing their own instruments.

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