Just A Little Girl? (False Smiles - Amy Studt)

Member Name: stoffy

Product:	False Smiles - Amy Studt
Date:	08/11/03 (198 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: some great pop songs

Disadvantages: angsty theme a bit repetitive

Angsty female soloists aren't exactly the endangered African elephants of the musical kingdom, with Pink, Avril Lavigne et al ensuring that the airwaves are currently awash with tales of non-school inclusion and parental strife. However, whilst most of this teenage bile seems to be emanating from the other side of the Atlantic, Amy Studt is rapidly becoming a more than equal exponent of the genre.

Hailing from Portsmouth, 17 year old singer-songwriter Studt's debut 'False Smiles' is a surprisingly refreshing collection of radio-friendly pop songs with an angsty twist.

The lead-off track was also her debut, released back in 2002 amid a blaze of publicity (possibly due to the fact that she is under the wing of Spice Girls maestro Simon Fuller). 'Just A Little Girl', helped by a clever, colourful and very arty video underperformed slightly, although made the Top 20. The delicate piano-led verses juxtaposed with the bitter-shouty chorus sounded completely fresh rather than the over-produced rigid structures of other songs around at the time. However, following its release, she disappeared off the map for about a year prompting rumours that she had been dropped by her record label, before coming back with 'Misfit'.

Her best known and successful track, 'Misfit' documents an inability to fit in at school - hardly a new topic, but the instantly memorable chorus is one of the year's pop highlights. Upon its released she was lazily compared to Lavigne, despite being launched before the Canadian. Once again aided by a colourful video that had a little of bit of though put into it, it announced her as a rising star of the British music scene. She should also get bonus points for using the word 'arse' rather than the more Americanised 'ass' in the song...

The third release followed 'Misfit' straight into the top 10. 'Under The Thumb's subtle reggae tones are rem
iniscent of No Doubt's 'Underneath It All' and is a mature and well-structured tune that still sounds great after many listens.

Whilst lyrically the remainder of the album varies little from the 'it's difficult growing up' theme of the single releases, more ingenuity is shown in the wide styles of music on offer. 'If Only' is a delicate track that shows off her characterful voice, whilst 'Beautiful Lie's radio-friendly guitars are accessible without sounding stale.

One of the album's highlights is the marvellously titled 'Ladder In My Tights'. Whilst writing off any potential commercial hook-up with Pretty Polly hosiery, it's a fantastically catchy track, albeit in an extremely similar vein to 'Misfit'. The liberal sprinkling of a swear word in the chorus will undoubtedly hinder any thoughts of its release, but it's well-worth investigating.

Slower tracks like 'Happy Now' and 'You're Gonna Be Fine' show-off Studt expressive vocal talent, although lack a little bit of muscle to make them memorable. Similarly, 'Superior Mind' and 'Going Out Of My Mind' both fail to possess the vital hook that made the single tracks so distinctive.

However, the closing tracks of 'Testify', another radio-friendly track with a bit of verve and character, and the piano-led 'Nobody' restore a little bit interest.

Whilst a little bit of quality-control may have made a slicker and more compact album, 'False Smiles' demonstrates that Amy Studt has more talent than the run-of-the-mill wannabes that are increasingly peddled. A little more variation in the lyrical content would also not have gone amiss. However, whilst Amy Studt's debut is perhaps not a classic, it more than holds its own in the genre and is certainly worth investigating.

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