Vv Brown - Travelling Like the Light
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Vv BrownEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Import
CD Release Date: 2009-07-21
Music Label: Island UK
Free Music Notes for Travelling Like the Light
Free Music Review: Support talented artists; buy this album!
Hit: 5 Stars
Possibly my new favorite thing in music (okay, outside of Anouk and Damien Rice) is V.V. Brown, the genre bending, illustriously captivating musical talent who took me by utter surprise back in December when, sifting through clearance racks at The Buckle, I happened to hear `Shark in the Water' overhead. Like I mentioned in my review of Brown's `The Attic EP', I own my obsession with Brown to my V CAST song ID app on my phone.
This album is simply DIVINE!
`Quick Fix' opens the album, and it's perfectly suited to do so. This has a great 60's rock/Motown vibe to it, but it has such modern flare, a style that calls to mind acts like The Strokes or The White Stripes. It's fun and energetic and capitalizes on one of the many sides to this artist. I usually say that the opening track should set the tone for the album and establish the breed of music one is going to experience. V.V. Brown has so many shades to her that it's hard to finger her down to one specific style. This is a great track to open with because it shows the energy she possesses, but this is not the only sound you are going to get from her. Case in point, the track that follows, `Game Over', is completely different. This track is far more R&B and even hip-hop influenced, screaming "CLUB WORTHY" all over the place. This is the perfect anthem track, infecting the listener with the desire to pump fists in the air and chant along with the catchy chorus!
And then there is `Shark in the Water'. I love this song SO MUCH. With soft references to George Michael in the musical arrangement, this track carries a nicely placed pop sound that is perfectly suited for radio play. V.V.'s voice flourishes here, coating your eardrums with earnest vocals that accompany the original and powerfully visual lyrics.
Sinking into vibes of surfer rock, circling the 60's new wave rock that still makes a splash here and there, V.V. delivers `Leave'. The song has grown on me over time (I love the way she says "but you're stupid") and I actually like the affectations she leaves on the words (her British accent is very noticeable here). I like the mellowed out flow to the song, a flow that carries over into `Bottles'. This is probably my least favorite track on the album. It's decent, but it lacks any real sizzle for me.
`Crying Blood' is utter perfection. I love the way she effortlessly blends high octane rock music and hip-hop into this flawless track (with the `Wipe Out' references falling all over the place). This is one of those tracks that will MOVE you to the dance floor, quite literally.
Lyrically, this is one of my favorite tracks.
Finding her Motown footing on `Back in Time', Brown slows things down and delivers a stunning modernized ballad that etches itself effortlessly into our minds. The echo on her vocals during the chorus is haunting. Even better is the STUNNING `I Love You', a soft and subtle ballad that carries with it jazz influences (I can just see her singing this in a smoky jazz club) that fall softly all over Brown's delicate vocals. The piano is a beautiful compliment to Brown.
Jumping out of her skin again, Brown breaks the soft silence with `L.O.V.E.' that grabs from her Motown influences, adding layers of swing and big band jive atmosphere. If you want to do the jitter-bug then this is the song to do it to, losing all control while V.V. pleads with you to "just love me!"
How could you NOT just LOVE this woman!
`Everybody' is one of the best songs on this album, crushing down on us with warped genres coming together to create utter perfection. Industrial, R&B and Jazz fall all over this slick track (the chorus is just FLAWLESS). I even got a hint of Gnarls Barkley on this track, and that's always a good thing. `Crazy Amazing' rests effortlessly on the eardrums, with it's breezy Supreme-style vibe that with get your fingers snapping and your head swelling with nostalgic adoration (the first song I ever learnt to play on the piano was the one used for this tracks musical influence).
The closing track, `Traveling Like the Light', is a beautifully captured glimpse at the softer side of Brown. It is simple, yet her approach speaks volumes. Personally, it isn't on the top of my list, but this whole album is fantastic, so even if it lands on the bottom it's still stunning (although, if she wanted to go out on a softer note, I would have went with `Back in Time').
So, it's safe to say that I find this album simply stunning (I think the word I used was DIVINE). It's rare to find an album (especially a debut album) that nails nearly every track and stands out as one of the best of the decade, but Brown's album is easily one of the best I own.
If you're wondering, my personal ranking would be:
1) Shark in the Water
2) Everybody
3) I Love You
4) Crying Blood
5) Game Over
6) Crazy Amazing
7) Quick Fix
8) Back in Time
9) L.O.V.E.
10) Traveling Like the Light
11) Leave!
12) Bottles
Travelling Like the Light Poster
The 25-year Old Brown, wrote her first melody on the piano at age 5, with training in church, weekend jazz and classical piano lessons, and, of course, in her parents' record collection. To call V V Brown a genre-blender is the understatent of the year, and also somewhat off the point -- because Brown's subtle use of vintage rock and soul rythems and grooves is so organically and expressively unified with her melodies, lyrics and vocal dynamics that she becomes an object lesson in appreciating music for its own sakePop Music CDs
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