Introduction to a Spiky Headed Future (Introduction - Alex Parks)

Member Name: Catzy

Product:	Introduction - Alex Parks
Date:	24/12/03 (156 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good voice, Good songwriter, Prmising future in music

Disadvantages: Too many covers, She has a wierd loathing of vowels...

I'm so sorry. I did it again. I played around with the title of the review to fit the title of the album and twist it to fit in with some sort of not-so-clever pun. Why do I always do this? Every album I have reviewed so far has had some sort of odd title. It's some sort of disease...
Anywho, the album. Now, bearing in mind that she won Fame Academy and then was literally pushed into the Recording studios to record this, I would say its a very nice first album. One things for sure, we now have a total of 2 Reality TV show winners with real talent. ( Her and Will Young ) One problem with the spiky haired singer's album is the fact that it dos have quit a lot of covers on. Saying this, they are very very good versions. I quite like hr version of Tears for Fears "Mad World". Its a lot better than that Gary Jules version in my opinion. ( I cant believe that it beat the Darkness to Xmas Numero Uno! Grrr! ) Another problem is that for some, her voice may be seen as annoying. I don't see any variation in her voice in these songs, and she tends to have a habit of vowel-splitting. And ok, its interesting at first but then it crosses that line into predictable, and then annoying. And on that nice note, let me give you a little quick track by track guide.

1. Maybe that's what it Takes

Many of you will have heard this on your radios. The self-written ( Well, co-written actually, but whatever...) ballad is quite good. It grows on you. Of course, it had already grown on me on accout of the fact that I had recorded the Fame Academy final and kept replaying the live version that Alex did on the show because I liked it so much. It's got a Coldplayish or of feel to it, with a bit of Annie Lennox thrown in. ( And I don't mean that literally, because if Annie Lennox was thrown into a CD, not only would it hurt but...oh forget it...) It starts simple enough. With a haunting piano beat which is the sort of thing Coldplay like to
do, and then just when I'm expectin Chris Martin' vocals to kick in, I get a new, innocent young, angst ridden voice weaved into the piano beat. And its pretty good lyrics, full of metaphors and hidden meanings. Very Coldplay indeed. The amount of vowel-splitting the girl does could fill not one, but 2 FULL BAGS of er..split...vowels...Shut up Catzy...Anyway, if she could just hold onto the same note without splitting it, I may like this record a lt more. It also has little bit of a beat which is mixed in to the song at times, which gives an origial classic piano balad a bit of a modern twist. Overall, I am impressed.

2. Cry

Oooorr..This is another depressing balad type track, but with a lot more hardcore raw emotion in Park's vocals on this. This is another self penned one by the way. And actually, some songs tend to need a few listens to before you actually get into them, but I actually found this quite easy to slip into. Her vocal's on this are fantastic. And there isn't that much vowel splitting on this either! Win win! The song starts off very quietly with a small piano beat being played slowly in the background along with traces of violin I think. Well, thats what my ears told me. Then Parks ( Why am I calling her by her last name? Thats something a proffesional reviewer would do! Hee hee! I'm a professional! Tee hee! ) starts to sing. She sings quite softly, and then we get a bunch of drums in the back to symbolise the chorus, and that's where Alex really goes into it. " And then I cry..." But bloody flaming nora, can she really make that word cry make you at home want to cry. She puts her heart and soul into it most definitely and makes that word "cry" go on for long time by experimenting and stretching her voice into all sorts of shapes so that she can fill about half of the chorus with just one word. Intelligent balad with traces of piano and raw passionate vocals. That was a bit like her
first one wasn't it? Well, thats all about to change...

3. Dirty Pretty Words

As the title may suggest, this is quite a er...dirty track! Well, Parks suddenly changes from innocent sweet girl to rock chick with attitude. But, I thnk Alex should stick to the innocent Coldplay style image, because she can't pull off rock chick. She's worse than Avril Lavigne for gawd's sake...your not Karen O love...stick to your best...
Saying that, I do really really enjoy this song. I starts off alot differently to her first two tracks, with a loud crash of drums and a bit ofthe old electric guitar is strumming along too, and then it softens just in time for Park's vocals to come in. But unlike Cry and Maybe thats what it Takes, her voice is more creepy, and more attitude filled. Her voice seems to crawl against the rocky beat in the background, all innocent is stripped off her. And then the chorus begins, and this mesmerising music is played in the background so that Alex can slide her voice into the chorus gracefully and the shorten it and make her words sharp and snappy for the remainder of the chorus along with a rock beat in the background. And then the whole song stops so she can say one line. ( She doesn't sing it ) and then it carrys on. I get the feeling shes directing this song to a certain someone. I have my own opinions on who the lyrics are for. My guess is her fellow Fame Academy student Peter, as she seems to be telling him off for saying mean things to her, and his badboy front. I may be wrong, but hey, just an opinion, people.

4. Imagine

Ohhh...god....
Why Alex? Why? She was doing so well in her album so far, and then she goes and wrecks it with this. Ok, let me be fair. The vocals in this are pretty good. But I have a very strong belief that she shouldn't cover John Lennon. Nothing to do with how it sounds, but because these lyrics mean absaloute zilch to her. And all the emotion in her voic
e is false. This isn't her song, and all she's doing is singing the words. And not to mention all the bloody vowel splitting she does in it. OK, negativity over with. Here are the positives. Its a lot different to Lennon's fantastic version of the song. It isn't done with piano, its done with guitar. And I do find it quite modern, with a few sound effects slipping in and out of the backing. It is quite mesmerising. Park's vocals are good, but I've heard this song too many times now to enjoy it as much. The magic she put into it the first time I heard it has gone, and hs been replaced with my little grumblings over the fact it's a cover.

5. Not Your Average Kind Of Girl

When the begining of this song started, it was remenescent of the Beatles. That beggining just made me instantly think of it. So, I sat in anticipation for a pretty good song with Beatles feel in it. And I didn't get any of it. It was rubbish! It was boring, and the lyrics and the way Park's sings it doesn't seem to fit. The title would suggest a bit of attitude from her, but nope. None of that. I woul have fallen asleep listening to this. No magic in it at all. Not even her vocals were up to scratch in this song. Just very downbeat and boring. Ugh. That wasn't very nice was it? Sorry 'bout that Alex fans. Please don't pelt me with tomatos just yet. Let them ripen first. ( Ha ha ha! That should give me time to escape! )

6. Mad World

Now, I could whinge about the fact that this is another cover, but its very good, so I'll spare you from it. Credit to Tears for Fears for making such a simple, yet fantastic song. It starts off with a sad piano beat, with Parks coming in a while later. Her voice sounds quite different at the start. Not sure why, but it just does. You kinda have to listen to it to get what I mean. The song in itself is great. I fins the verses interesting, and I like the way Alex ings them. She sin
gs them in steps, as though shes going through a shopping list. But it's a very sad shopping list. Her vocal talent is perfect for this song. And despite being quite downbeat, its still mesmerising and memorable.

7. Everybody Hurts

Dun dun dun! Its another cover! So congrats to REM for making a fantastic sad song with a simple yet effective tune. Now onto Alex. This version of the song reminded me a little of a sad sounstrack to a sad family film. That violin did especially. Now, I must admit, I'm a little disappointed. When I heard Alex sing this on Fame Academy live, it was a lot better than the version on here. It starts off with Alex timidly singing against a soft melody at the beginning. And I'm quite impressed at this moment in time with how sad it is. But then that lark gets a bit old. Becaus its 5minutes, 44 second, you get to hear Alex sing "Everybody Hurts" quie alot of times, and it does get a bit " Ok, whats next? " After a bit. It doesn't store excitement for you to want to listen to it all the way through. Well, not for me anyway. And one thg that bugs me alot, is the fact that Alex bloody wrecks " Hurts" in "Everybody Hurts" by changing it to "Huuu-uuurts.." And it really bugs me. Tis a good version of the song though, if a little boring at times.

8. Beautiful

Aaaah. Now despite this being ANOTHER cover. And quite a recent cover, it is still a marvelous track. It fits her vocals like a glove. Perhaps even better than Miss Aquilera, but then again, not much fits her does it?
One thing I am happy abut, is at last I can enjoy this song without having that annoying over singing that Miss Aquilera does. I don't have to live with that "OOOOOooooohhh-hhhh" every time there is a part where no lyrics are required. At least Miss Parks doesn't feel the need to do that. And I am glad. Her vocals are tremendous on this record. They seem to fi
t best when she does the more downbeat ballad songs. Not thats a er...bad thing. I just say she suits them rather than upbeat songs. Good on you, Miss Parks.

9. Stones and Feathers

Oh, this is marvelous. It really is something special. It's probably my fave track on the album. At the start it does remind me slightly of U2's Sunday Bloody Sunday, but I'm glad it changes so this is not the case. It starts with a slow simple beat, and then a piano beat joins in. Then Alex accompanies with a soft vocal, and then all of a sudden, Alex seems to be upset, as she moans " I can't help falling down" and then the chorus beats in with Alex moaning and wailing, but it still sounds good. I find the chorus, depressing, but in a good way, I dunno how...but its like...its a good thing that its depressing, because it sounds so darn effective! And Alex's vocals are ramsacked with pure golden emotion. Especially in the chorus and the lead up to the chorus. Its to do with Alex not feeling happy about who she is, and confessing that shes had enough of that feeling, in a nutshell. Despite her being so young, she does seem to have a certain nack for writing song lyrics. Good on you Miss Parks. And I have played this song so many times that my Dad actually likes it now. And hes a miserable git who hates pretty much everything. I'm still not sick of this. I think this song is pretty underated. I think its because its not exactly a commercial song...but I still love it!

10. Here Comes The Rain Again

Hey hey! Another lovely cover. But it is quite good. I like it better than the original, its more modern, like a lot of her covers, and spiritual and relaxing I guess. It fits Park's vocals to a tee, it really is good singing. Nice one, Alex. I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt ( Whatever that means) because I'm going to praise Alex even though this isn't her own unique work, she does a good job of it, and I
like it better than the original. Its very hypnotic, and I really do like it. Gets into your brain, grabs it tight, and wraps itself around it until you can't breathe...so, I am metaphorically dead now....
Im going wierd again aren't I?
NURSE!!!

11. Yellow

Another cover. ( I'm sick of saying that. Thank the lord for copy and paste. )
Now, since this is Coldplay, I'm again, not going to moan at Alex for doing a cover. I must admit, that girl has good song tastes. I like all the songs shes done on here. This is a very different version to the one I'm use to. The music is styled differently to Coldplay's, and Alex does sing it very well. ( Aside from that bloody vowel splitting....grrr....Alex, heres a knife. Go split all the vowels you bloody want...just stop singing them that way...what do you have against vowels anyway? Never thought those consenents were a bit dodgy looking? )
The only downside to this is that its been comercialised so much that I've heard it too many times now. It was on the Fame Academy's Album, she sang it on TOTP, she sang it on Radio 1, and on Fame Academy at least 3 times...I get it Alex...it's all yellow...is yellow...whatever..

12. Wandering Soul

This song is a bit like my review titles. Predictable. Despite it being more upbeat, Alex sings this well. I quite like this actually. The producers have kindly shoved all the good songs to the back of the album and shoved the overhyped ones nearer the front. But I still like this. Its a nice mixture of her spiritual, mesmerising side, along with her cooler rockier side she seems to have found in herself. She can't pull off Rock Chick that well...if you had seen her do Tainted Love...good god...
The song starts off with a quiet relaxing backing, with Parl's vocalsmaining whistfully, through and full, until a rockier chorus kicks in. This song sounds a bit Avril Lavignish actually. It has this auror
of American fake rock chickishness about it. Ah well, its still good. A bit predictable though, apart from the chorus, which I found quite refreshingly unusual in parts.

13. Over conscious

This song starts off quite unusual. And then Alex's innocent vocals come floating in. This is quite sad, and has an auror of creepiness weaved into the backing. It does tend to get a bit boring towards the ending. I find it mysterious, aswell, and full of secrets. Its a nice end anyway. So nice one. Don't really have that much of an opinion on it really. I've heard better. But this is an album track really.


So thats your lot! :)
Ive not been very funny in this review, I apolagise. I could crack a few knock knock jokes to make up for it if you like?
No?
Oh, ok.
Overall, I found this album pretty good. Despite the cover tracks and that stupid vowel breaking, its a good album. It does get the feeling it was quite rushed to make, and it probably was so that our hedgehog headed friend could get the album out whilst all the Fame Academy hype was still floating around.

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