Pixie Lott - 'Cry Me Out'
Am I the only person who is slightly unnerved by really talented children? Surely not. There's just something about the way prodigious talent manifests itself at a young age which is at one and the same time impressive, but also...how can I put this?..somehow AGAINST THE VERY FABRIC OF REALITY AS WE KNOW AND UNDERSTAND IT.
Child actors can get away with it better than child mathematicians, because even non-prodigious kids do like to pretend to be other people. Child singers, on the other hand, are more unsettling than either, especially if they're REALLY good, cos the voice normally takes a while to develop and the ability to hold a tune is among the last of your vocal qualities to arrive.
Also, most music demands an understanding of things which are not normally within a child's frame of reference - intense longing (and not just for sweets), passion, loss, fury, betrayal - so even if you can hit the notes, selling the emotion of the song is another thing entirely.
(. C'mon off the table, love. That's where the nibbles are going...)
So, the more I find out about Pixie Lott, how she's been performing since the age of five, how she's had a record deal since she was 15, the more her vocal achievements start to give me the shivers.
I mean, just LISTEN to that voice. Listen to the weary tone and mature delivery. Listen to the lyrics, in which she points the finger at some rubbish ex, in a series of immaculately-balanced lines:
"I got your email, you just don't get females, now do you?"
It's not the first time those two words have been used in a rhyme, but it's still pretty great as an opening salvo, innit?
Now, at 18 Pixie is by no means the youngest person ever to bellow into a microphone for a living. And believe you me, next year is going to be a regular baby boom for pop stars who can't get served in pubs, if the poll is anything to go by. Buuut, there's a world of difference between Daisy Dares You brattily jumping about while bellowing a song from Oliver! as if covered by Avril Lavigne, and a mature, '50s-style grown-up's ballad like this.
I guess what I'm saying is that while I like this a lot, I have to try really hard to forget who is singing it while I'm listening. A problem which never came up with 'Boys and Girls', it's fair to say.
Download: Out now
CD Released: November 30th
Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Music page
(Fraser McAlpine)
Comment number 1.
At 10th Dec 2009, CurtainJerker wrote:I've not consciously heard this, and perhaps never will. However, despite what I read in this review, I'm going to disregard it and instead pretend that it's a cover of Corona's seminal 1995 no 6 smash "Try Me Out".
"...Just take a chance on me cos I wanna be yoaz..."
(NB - I just looked them up on Wikipedia to find out where that peaked in the chart, and found out that the frontwoman didn't actually sing, and different women sang the vocals on different songs. AND they were Italian!)
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Comment number 2.
At 10th Dec 2009, BloggingLiam wrote:You will have heard this.
It's ok. A bit meh though. Not really much of a Pixie fan. Didint like 'Mama Do' and I thought 'Boys and Girls' although good, could have been by the Sugarbabes.
I did hear this on the radio and was surprised it was her. Her voice does have a great tone to it and she delivers this very well. But as Ive said before, shes in a saturated market and I don't have much room in my life for any more solo female artists. Particuarly average ones.
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Comment number 3.
At 12th Dec 2009, harrythedog10 wrote:I agree with BloggingLiam - apart from the bit about not liking 'Mama Do'- she sounds really good in this song but needs a few years (at least) to mature as a song writer if she wants to survive, she should get to do a second album though after the success of the other singles.
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Comment number 4.
At 13th Dec 2009, jonesybcfc wrote:You don't know how much I want your job Mr McAlpine.
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Comment number 5.
At 13th Dec 2009, Fraser McAlpine - wrote:This display of good manners will serve you well, Mr BCFC. Keep your nose clean, respect your elders and betters, and who knows, maybe 30 or 40 years down the line, the job could be yours!
kind regards
Mr McAlpine
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Comment number 6.
At 21st Dec 2009, jonesybcfc wrote:Thank you very much, i can only hope.
keep up the good work mate
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Comment number 7.
At 21st Dec 2009, thranjax wrote:"You don't know how much I want your job Mr McAlpine"
A great line because a) depending on the tone of voice you imagine it delivered in, it could be anywhere from obsequious to incredibly menacing, and b) it could be used as a fantastic backhanded compliment, after all "how much" could in fact mean "not at all under any circumstances, I would rather clean the X Factor boot camp latrines".
Thranjax
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Comment number 8.
At 21st Dec 2009, spirit wrote:"You don't know how much I want your job Mr McAlpine ! "
Yes but which job exactly ?
a) The weekend drag act job ?
b ) The Tuesday naked knife juggling job ?
c) The Friday , cleaning the Radio 1 urinals with a toothbrush job ?
Which job exactly ?
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Comment number 9.
At 22nd Dec 2009, jonesybcfc wrote:Thanks thranjax but i'm afraid i'm not as ingenius as you may make me out to be. I do actually want his job, a music reviewing job, as a young guy choosing a career i cant think of anything better than listening to music and writing down what you think of it all day for a living is all.
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Comment number 10.
At 22nd Dec 2009, spirit wrote:Thank goodness for that Jonesy !
The naked knife juggling job has it's risks...
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Comment number 11.
At 4th Feb 2010, adan wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 12.
At 4th Feb 2010, BloggingLiam wrote:She got far too many Brit nominations.
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