Swing Out Sister - Beautiful Mess
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Free Music Notes for Beautiful Mess
Free Music Review: Every work of art is different, this SOS is still art at its finest
Hit: 5 Stars
It is a distinctly American quality to compare things and declare that one is better than another. It speaks to our undying desire, however misguided, to win. To that end, I find it ironic that reviewers in this space have criticized this work as inferior to other SOS editions. It would seem counterintuitive to me since I would have assumed that SOS listeners would be of a higher mind. One would never compare two different works of Picasso and say this brush stroke is better than that one. This color brighter than that. The same holds true for Beautiful Mess.
I, for one, am in love with this collection. As has always been the case, SOS enters my life at just the right time and touches and changes my world in a way that few artists can do. Yes, there are fewer sweeping strings sections and it is more subdued than other offerings. But SOS are artists and as such, they paint the aural pictures that are integral to their present existence. We all grow, we all change. And so, I am again struck by the oddity that their fans won't allow them to do the same.
Now to the disc. If your favorite SOS disc is The Living Return, then BM is a must for you. While TLR is my fav, I have always been disappointed with the sound quality and have secretly hoped it will be remastered some day. In contrast, BM brings the intricacies and delicious layers into full listening view with excellent quality. The melodies are as gorgeous as ever and Drewery's voice is altogether ageless, still lush, still achingly honest.
To pick a favorite song in this collection would be difficult. I encourage all SOS fans to purchase BM and to listen without bias. Explore this work of art as you would any other...with an open mind.
Free Music Review: Another Wonderful Musical Journey
Hit: 5 Stars
SOS returns again with another wonderful mix of R&B, jazz, soul and brazilian that gives us 'Beautiful Mess' a nice laid back set from them, 'Time Tracks You Down' is a highlight, love the background vocals arrangements on 'Something Everyday' and 'Secret Love', the utter joy of 'I'll Be Happy','Butterfly Lullably' is a nice instrumental, two remixes called the 'Little wizard mix' on 'Butterfly' is a good mix but the 'SED' mix is not so good, SOS fans who want another musical journey should add this to there collection!Free Music Review: Beautiful indeed
Hit: 5 Stars
One word: Magnificent!
If You're SOS fan You must have this cd. If You're not, give it a try, I'm sure You're gonna love it.
Thanks Andy & Corinne for this excellent work!
Free Music Review: SOS, Welcome Back!
Hit: 4 Stars
I too, like many of you have been an SOS fan from the start. They are my favorite band, and what more can one say about Corinne's voice, but awesome!Free Music Review: Impossibly Good!
Hit: 5 Stars
I don't know how Swing Out Sister does this year after year. But they do. Each new offering seems better than the last. And they've been doing it for so long; top notch every time. This CD continues to give me chills. I LOVE it. It's my new favorite--just like almost all of their past releases have been.
There is no filler. Every song is meticulously crafted. SOS has such an interesting and classy mixture of styles. No other artist that I know of can even come close to the well-crafted songs that SOS perform in such a diverse blend of sounds and styles. This CD is no exception--if anything, it is more diverse than usual.
It has that nice 60's pop sound that SOS has become somewhat famous for (Bacharach style stuff with great melodies and hooks). But there is also an oh-so-cool blend of jazz/pop, soul, R&B, and even mellow hip-hop, funk, and acid jazz going on over the top of that.
For me, the high points are:
Butterfly - this is a nice blend of 60's pop, funk, and soul. It reminds a bit of some of the mellower Jamiroquai songs--especially the chorus. No offense to Jay Kay (great singer), but Corinne is smoother! Perfect song style for her.
Something Every Day - a great song. The end fade goes into this intense minor tonality, funky riff that just melts me when I hear it. The drums are kickin' this track in the seat of the pants! Talking about in the pocket...
My State of Mind - I LOVE this song. It is very reminiscent of Incognito (the band) in style. Yet it has that Swing Out Sister trademark sound. Great groove! The bass lines are amazing! It's this very growly fretless bass with a lot of spot-on slides. The guy (or gal) nailed it. I'm not sure who it is, but he's (or she's) an incredible bassist. There are several songs on the CD with his (or her?) amazing fretless work.
Secret Love - Another track with this amazing bassist... This song gives me the chills. It's so perfectly crafted. It's got a great groove. Very funky at times. Beautiful orchestration. Man this thing rocks! The guitarist (Tim Cansfield) adds a wonderful groovy funk sound. Kudos to the drummer again for an impossibly tight groove--absolutely impeccable taste!
Out There - Mellow and spacey. Weird I know, but it reminds me of an impressionist painting. It's one of those sophisticated, mysterious 60's-style pop songs that SOS does so well. Corinne has done (or whoever it is!) quite a lot of spoken French in the background of songs over the years. This is another (I think I hear French way back there!), and it works well for this style of music. Mielleux!
Butterfly (Remix) - Okay, I generally hate remixes. Not in this case. This song is very cool. There are some really cool things going on here. The synth bass and drums really work a nice groove.
Something Every Day (Remix) - As I said, I generally don't like remixes. But this cut is one of my favorites. It's brilliant! There is this sort of offbeat, cross-timed drum groove going on that just grabs me. The over-the-top ride cymbal work in the chorus is just cool! I'm not sure what it is about this one that captures me so much; it's just put together so nicely. The altered chords/harmony arpeggios with the keys is just cool. The arrangement is choppy, but it all fits like a big puzzle.
So... there you have it. All the songs are top-notch. Buy it. It'll be the best fifty bucks you spend in a long time! Swing Out Sister deserves to rule the world (ha ha!)... actually they do, musically!!!
Extra points are given for the photo of Corinne on the cover. Classy lady!