Take a Seat in the Live Lounge! (Live Lounge)

Member Name: Foxy-Lady

Product:	Live Lounge
Date:	20/04/07 (914 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some great musical moments

Disadvantages: Some better Live Lounge sessions could've been included

Tuning into the Jo Whiley slot on BBC Radio One (weekdays from 10:00am until 12:45pm) I eagerly await the Live Lounge session where popular singers/groups are invited along to present a live version of one of their songs and an unrehearsed cover of something else, adding their own twist. It sounds like a recipe for disaster but does in fact lead to some genuinely excellent surprises and great musical moments. This has resulted in the Live Lounge becoming quite famous and an integral part of the Jo Whiley show.

Many tracks have prompted a barrage of texts and emails from listeners asking ‘When will that tune be released?’ so after much popular demand, Radio One and Sony BMG have put a compilation together and released a much anticipated album!

Simply titled ‘Radio One’s Live Lounge’, the double CD contains some of the best Live Lounge sessions. Recorded and mixed by Radio One music engineers, the feel of a live performance is captured in most instances, revealing the true talent and creativity of some artists but also exposing the slight faults and deficiencies of others.

I won’t evaluate everything that features on the CD as with 40 tracks we’d be here for a very long time. Instead, I’ll pick out some which to me are the highlights...and the odd dud!


~ TRACK LISTING~

CD ONE

Foo Fighters - DOA
Arctic Monkeys - Love Machine (originally by Girls Aloud)
Snow Patrol - Run
The Kooks - Crazy (originally by Gnarls Barkley)
Razorlight - Golden Touch
Corinne Baily Rae - Munich (originally by Editors)
The Automatic - Gold Digger (originally by Kanye West)
Editors - All Sparks
Boy Kill Boy - Maneater (originally by Nelly Furtado)
Queens of the Stone Age - No One Knows
Embrace - How Come (originally by D12)
Jame Blunt - If There’s Any Justice (originally by Lemar)
Natasha Bedingfield - The Scientist (originally by Coldplay)
Kings of Leon - Molly’s Chambers
Jamie Cullum - Frontin’ (originally by Pharrell)
Sugababes - Living for the Weekend (originally by Hard-Fi)
Lemar - I Belive in a Thing Called Love (originally by The Darkness)
Will Young - Hey Ya! (originally by Outkast)
Hard-Fi - Tied Up Too Tight
Oasis - Songbird

CD TWO

Coldplay - The Scientist
Lily Allen - Smile
Keane - With or Without You (originally by U2)
KT Tunstall - Other Side of the World
Franz Ferdinand - What You Waiting For (originally by Gwen Stefani)
Pink - Family Portrait
Outkast - Ms. Jackson
The Futureheads - Hounds of Love (originally by Kate Bush)
Jamelia - Numb (originally by Linkin Park)
Dizzee Rascal - Jus’ a Rascal
Lemon Jelly - Nice Weather For Ducks
Mylo - In My Arms
My Chemical Romance - Song 2 (originally by Blur)
The Coral - Dreaming of You
Maximo Park - Going Missing
The Bravery - An Honest Mistake
The Streets - Let’s Push Things Forward
Basement Jaxx - Romeo
Orson - Push the Button (originally by Sugababes)
50 Cent - In Da Club


~MY OPINION~

CD one kicks off with a live rendition of the Foo Fighters well known song ‘DOA’. It’s a little bit rough round the edges in places but it suits the typical style of the band and gives it a certain charm. Full of character and provides a great start to the album!

The eclectic mix of genres and sounds that are featured on the Live Lounge CD are showcased immediately as we are then given the Arctic Monkeys cover of a Girls Aloud song! As a big fan of theirs (the Arctics that is, not Girls Aloud) I can’t help but love this. Recorded last year I think this is perhaps one of the most remembered Live Lounge sessions...partly due to them singing off key and giggling! It emphasises the live nature of the recording and injects an honest and fun quality to the track. And that distinctive Yorkshire twang is great!

The Arctic Monkeys is a prime example of artists covering the kind of material that you wouldn’t normally associate them with and this happens frequently throughout the album. I never thought I’d hear Jamelia belt out a Linkin Park track but she does it well and delivers ‘Numb’ with stye. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for Natasha Bedingfield. There are mixed feelings about her cover of ‘The Scientist’ - some love it, some hate it. In my opinion it’s pretty average. The slight jazzy edge just doesn’t do it for me with this particular song and I much prefer the Coldplay original.

Another track with a jazz feel is little Jamie Cullums presentation of ‘Frontin’. Now this I do like! It was such a success in the Live Lounge that it was subsequently released as a single. Typical Jamie Cullum style gives it a smooth, relaxed, easy listening quality that has you tapping along with your foot. Having said that, I can’t help but tap my foot, click my fingers or sing along to most of the songs on the discs. Something which can be quite embarrassing if you happen to be queued in traffic in your car and realise that other drivers have caught sight of you singing at the top of your voice. Not that I ever do that of course...AHEM!

I always join in with Josh Homme from Queen’s of the Stone Age performing ‘No One Knows’ - one of the oldest recordings on the album dating back to 2002. I really like the original and this stripped down acoustic version is fantastic, with added cocky comments from the singer! The guitar sounds awesome...gives me goosebumps.

Due to the nature of the CD and its live origins, acoustics do feature on a lot of the tracks. One that particularly springs to mind is Corinne Bailey Rae singing ‘Munich’ by The Editors. Actually hearing her fingers on the guitar strings makes the performance extra special. Her unmistakeable soft voice presents a wonderful interpretation of the song. And Snow Patrol! The original release of ‘Run’ is lovely anyway and this being a simple acoustic delivery where you can virtually hear every pluck, tweak and strum of the guitar strings makes it absolutely gorgeous. The hairs on the back of your neck will stand on end.

Lemars voice has that effect on me too, even when he’s singing ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’! It has got to be one of the least expected combinations but he tackles the Darkness anthem in his own soulful manner. His smooth, melodic voice hits those high notes with ease. Some lyrics from a K-Ci and JoJo song are also thrown in for good measure!

Another track that has been given a soulful edge is Will Young and Hey Ya. Will Young? Singing Hey Ya?? Yep, you heard correctly and unfortunately I personally don’t think it’s that good. Mr Young sings it nicely in his trademark style and his fans will therefore probably like it (I think he even included the cover on his latest album)...but in my opinion, it takes the livliness out of the original Outkast tune.

In comparison Orson have put their own spin on ‘Push the Button’ and the result is unusual to say the least! Some quite quirky bits make this a fun rendition of the Sugababes hit. Nelly Furtados virtually unrecognisable ‘Maneater’ also gets some bizzare treatment in the Boy Kill Boy version. Not in a bad way though! It has a hint of Mike Flowers Pop about it, certainly offering a cover with a twist.

The Kooks singing the Gnarls Barkley tune ‘Crazy’ is an unlikely match too but it works well...one of those surprises that I mentioned earlier and one definitely not to be missed! Likewise with Lily Allen. She actually has a very pretty, silky voice which I’ve never even noticed before and she sings ‘Smile’ really well in this particular recording. It’s a lovely version of her well known song.

Pinks voice shines through aswell. I can’t say I’m keen on the original song (‘Family Portrait’) but in her live offering, the gravelly, coarse edge to her voice can be distinguished giving it a nice quality.

Before I forget, I must mention Keane. They appear on the album doing a cover of the classic U2 song ‘With or Without You’. This could’ve been a disaster but it’s a faithful rendition and quite simpy, it sounds wonderful. As does Embrace performing ‘How Come’. When I first heard this recording I couldn’t think what the original by D12 actually sounded like. The lyrics seemed familiar but I couldn’t put my finger on the tune. When I finally realised, I couldn’t believe how different Embrace perform it!

The same can be said about The Automatics unforgettable interpretation of ‘Gold Digger’. They’ve certainly stamped their individuality on the track in a Beastie Boys influenced style but I’ve got to admit, I’m not overly impressed by it. I’m not bothered about ‘In Da Club’ either. No offense Fiddy but this isn’t much different to the original release and to be honest, I’m not really sure why it’s been included. There have been much better Live Lounge sessions that could have added something special to the CD.

The Mylo tune also seems like a strange addition to the album as it’s completely different to everything else that features. I do like it though - we are treated to a new mix of the ‘In My Arms’ dance track, adding to the wide variety of styles that can be found on the CD.

I could go on forever but I think lastly I’ll just mention ‘Romeo’. From 2001 this is the oldest recording to be found on the album and offers a more chilled out, lyrical version of the well known dance track, proving that the Basement Jaxx girls can really sing.



As you can probably tell, I think this is a great album! Some of the leading names in the industry are brought together to create a unique, experimental selection of music, including modern tunes and some classic tracks. As with most CDs there are some disappointing additions but the majority are excellent. I know covers don’t appeal to everyone and a lot of people are of the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ opinion, but I think it works well in this instance. I’ll admit, the odd flat note can be heard but this just emphasises the back to basics feel and proves that the listings are natural and not over-produced like a lot of music today. On the whole, the talents of various artists are able to shine through and in many cases they’ve taken songs, injected their personality and made them their own.

I can’t believe that I haven’t reviewed this album sooner. Released in October 2006 its popularity meant that it was Platinum selling by December. I just hope that Radio One aim for a repeat of this success and release a second Live Lounge album. I’m sure the content will be just as good, if not better.




Radio One’s Live Lounge
Available from all the usual shops and online retailers.
The best offer currently from www.play.com - £8.95 with free delivery.

Summary: Well known artists perform live