Annie Lennox - Songs of Mass Destruction
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Free Music Notes for Songs of Mass Destruction
Free Music Review: Beautiful Introspection
Hit: 5 Stars
This is a terrific release by one of the most dynamic and interesting artists working today. No longer the brash and shocking young lady of the early 80's new wave movement, Annie is now a mature, thoughtful, somewhat world weary woman singing with a new depth of feeling and experience. She is no less provocative than in her Eurythmics days, indeed some of her new songs smack you right between the eyes with a force and power she could have never achieved twenty years ago.
The title of the album gives fair warning; there are songs of loss, sadness and pain, as well as hope, joy and indomitable spirit. But her observations on the world around us; on subjects like war, love, poverty, aids, truth, lies, and ever changing relationships are at once touching, powerful, and ultimately beautiful.
The opening song, DARK ROAD is, in her own words, a metaphor for the journey of life. We can only see dimly what lies ahead of us as we travel this road. If we pay attention along the way, we are likely to see many terrible and wonderful things.
Annie is a stunningly gorgeous and talented woman whose remarkable gifts have afforded her the privilege of going places and seeing things many of us will never experience. It is a testament to her intelligence and spirit that she hasn't taken the easy path so many others may have when writing these songs. She hasn't barraged us with poppy, vacuous tunes tailor made for top 40 radio ubiquity, nor has she tried to convince us that life is an endless party for the elite; a party most of us will never be invited to attend. Instead, she has chosen to create lasting and meaningful art that touches us at our deepest levels and, heaven forbid, actually makes us think and feel.
An excellent album - in my opinion the best of her career.
Free Music Review: Divine!
Hit: 5 Stars
Annie Lennox has built up a reputation for releasing some of the most finely-crafted adult contemporary pop that's out there. So it's not too surprising that she returns with a new album that leaves you in awe. Songs of Mass Destruction will be an Annie Lennox classic in a way that Bare and Medusa never were. While those two were fine records, they didn't have that flair that made her Eurythmics material and her debut solo album, Diva, legendary records. It is Diva that this new record most closely resembles, which is very welcome, since it's almost universally understood that Diva is her very best solo album. Songs of Mass Destruction is soulful, funky and very powerful. Most of the songs are generally more upbeat than the ones on Bare, which is also very welcome.
The first single, "Dark Road" is a nice, pretty song that introduces the album well. Notable tracks such as "Through The Glass Darkly", "Smithereens", "Womankind" and the hauntingly electric "Coloured Bedspread" round out the album nicely and show that Annie still has that fire that's made her so amazing through the years.
The culmination of this album, for me at least, is "Sing". This song is simply powerful! Sure, there are 23 female guest-artists on here (all of them well known) and the entire second verse is sung by none other than Madonna, but the song never loses its identity as an Annie Lennox anthem that serves as the crowning point of this album. It brings to life the recurring theme of this album being a celebration of Womanhood.
By the time the album came to an end, I was literally left blown away, wishing it would never have ended, and moved by the sheer power of this flawless and incredible album. 5 Stars!
Free Music Review: Staggering with genius
Hit: 5 Stars
After the melancholy undertones of her previous brilliant album, Bare, I didn't know what to expect from Annie's latest offering. The fact that the album was called "Songs of Mass Destruction" led me to believe it might be a bit more aggressive and edgy. It is that and a thousand times more.
Strong, fragile, angry, determined, inspired, inspiring, heartbreaking, devastated, hopeful, and fearlessly inventive. Overall, it's just an amazing accomplishment from an amazing artist. And it's great to see her rip into a song like she does more than once in this collection with all the conviction and emotional complexity of some of the legendary blues artists, sometimes pounding out over some driving rhythms that feel like a modern day battle cry.
Also, it's a less than subtle reminder that in the age of Britney, Linsay, Paris, and the rest of the blah-di-blahs, true art is accomplished with experience, intelligence and determination. Not to mention, that this 52-year-old rock goddess has more power and audacious brilliance in one raised eyebrow than all those 20-something train-wrecks combined. If this is what they consider "over the hill", I can't wait to get there.
A friend of mine said it best: "Annie is only reason to own ears. Period." I couldn't agree more. So, thank you, Ms. Lennox, for reminding me why I love music and why it is an important art form.
PS. Downloading the album from iTunes has a few added treats, such as live versions of Walking On Broken Glass and Little Bird from the Diva album and audio commentaries for three of the songs from this album, Dark Road, Smithereens and Sing.
Free Music Review: SONGS OF MASS DESTRUCTION...such a fresh, exciting sound
Hit: 5 Stars
SONGS OF MASS DESTRUCTION finds Annie Lennox in the best form of her solo career! Gone is the outdated, somber synth-laden production from Stephen Lipson [Lipson produced '92's DIVA; '95's MEDUSA and '03's BARE]. Instead and wisely Lennox decided to work with producer Glen Ballard [most famous for Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill"] and the results are stunning! Sure, this is a genre-jumping collection but it still feels consistent & coherent.
The first single "Dark Road" opens the album; this somber, slow burner jumps into hook-laden, high-gear for the bridge and the results are nothing less than spectacular. Will "Dark Road" prove "too dark" for radio? Probably. Other highlights include: the Bluesy-Rock infused "Love is Blind"; swampy-Zydeco riffs take "Ghosts in My Machine" to unexpected places; a funky feminist Rap [provided by Nadirah X.] gives "Womankind" the perfect 21st century feel [so sorely missing on BARE]; "Coloured Bedspread" is sexy, seductive Electronica; "Sing" gathers Annie's so-called "Choir of 23" to deliver a powerful message on HIV/AIDS without sacrificing a sing-a-long melody and "Big Sky" addresses Annie's planet...finding it dark, deeply troubled but still holding-out a glimmer of hope. The most familiar, i.e. classic Annie tracks are: "Smithereens"; "Through the Glass Darkly"; "Lost" and "Fingernail Moon"...all uniformly well-written & performed but without any real surprises.
SONGS OF MASS DESTRUCTION is such a fresh, exciting sound...one almost feels as if she/he is hearing Annie Lennox for the very first time!
Free Music Review: Passion
Hit: 5 Stars
It's a different world than when Annie first hit these shores. We used to wait desperately for information about a new Eurythmics album or single, and it was a thrill when we bought the first 45 off of each album, playing it over and over again. Nowadays, so much is leaked beforehand that, by the time the album is released, we've heard it all. So, we must seek our pleasures in other ways. Fortunately, although we are older and Annie is older, she has enough passion pulsing through her veins to still affect us deeply with her voice. Each of her albums has been its own island, and this one is no different. Not whimsical like "Diva" or reserved like "Bare," "Songs" is a driving, energized explosion of everything going on inside La Lennox's head. Sure, there is the usual off-song (as every Eurythmics fan has come to expect on each album -- discuss amongst yourselves) -- "Fingernail Moon" --but that's at the end of the album, and, by that point, you've invested yourself too far to care. I was struck by how natural, and raw, and passionate Annie's singing is on this album. She is entering a great period, I think. In the New York Times, she said that this album fulfills her record contract, and now she is free to make whatever music whenever she wants. I predict she will become quite prolific, releasing things through her website, a la Ryan Adams. I can't wait for the Latin album, and the folk album, and the dance album to which she alluded.