Equally Cursed and Blessed (Equally Cursed And Blessed - Catatonia)

Member Name: davepridd

Product:	Equally Cursed And Blessed - Catatonia
Date:	07/07/00 (13 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very summery, great vocals and arrangement

Disadvantages: Not for everyone

I think the title of the album probably sums up Catatonia quite well, because the appeal of frontwoman Cerys Matthews is hard to place - some find her beautiful with a great voice and others find her ordinary and a bit annoying. I fall into the first catergory, but I know many people who fall into the second.

Nevertheless, this remains a great album; much more laid back and pop-based than their debut. Here we see the group making use of string sections, harp, and piano instead of the trademark electric guitars. This provides a perfect backdrop for Cerys, who sounds fantastic on ballads such as 'Bulemic Beats' and 'Everything is Beautiful', yet she can also sound desperate and angry on tracks such as 'Dazed, Beautiful and Bruised', where she pushes so hard that her voice eventually gives up as the album fades out.

The album has quite a summer feel, and is definately one to be played while you are laying back on the beach with the sun shining. Despite having only mentioned ballads before, there are several anthems with 'Kareoke Queen' and 'She's a millionare', which are every bit as good as 'Road Rage', but with a much smoother production, so as not to upset the feel of the album, and despite all members making contributions, the album is very consistent.

Summary: