Breathing Under Water

Marié Digby | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 15, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Hollywood Records
• ASIN: B0026TWEXO
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #40,645 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Daybreak

2. Avalanche

3. Breathing Underwater

4. Shoulda Been Simple

5. Know You By Heart

6. Feel

7. Come Find Me

8. Symphony

9. Machine

10. Overboard f. Livvi Franc

11. Love With A Stranger

12. Come To Life

13. Crazier Things

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

Digby first hit the national stage last year when a homemade video of her performing an acoustic cover of Rihanna's "Umbrella" made her a YouTube phenom (to date the clip has over 12 million views). "That was a really wonderful way to start. I could present myself exactly as I wanted," says Digby, who first started writing her own songs at age 15 on a $50 guitar she bought on a whim. Her first album, Unfold, debuted at #29 on the Billboard chart, # 2 on the iTunes album chart, # 3 on Billboard's Digital Top 100 album chart and prompted a successful string of film and television placements for her songs including ER, Greek, The Hills, One Tree Hill, and Smallville.

Prior to her YouTube fame and the success of Unfold, Digby was set on a much different course. The first child of a Japanese mother and Irish-American father, the Los Angeles native went off to college at Berkeley where she studied philosophy and figured she'd eventually follow in her dad's footsteps and go to law school.

So when she came home after finishing her freshman year and promptly announced she was dropping out to become a full-time musician, her parents were understandably baffled. In some ways, Digby surprised herself too. "I'm not one of those kids who was always in the school musical or was the star of the high school play," she says. "And even when I tried to get involved, I was often rejected. I figured I must be really bad."

Despite the odds, Digby couldn't ignore her inner voice. "I knew making it in music was impossible, but I didn't care what it took."

Product Description

From the opening beats of Breathing Underwater, the listener encounters a bold new Marié Digby. In marked contrast to the stripped-down vibe of her debut disc, Unfold, the album's fuller sound enhances Marié's (pronounced Mar-ee-AY) emotionally rich storytelling and dramatic vocals. The album is a deeply personal snapshot of her life--full of the kind of exposed emotions that make great songs.

"Everything was born right there in the moment," says Digby.

Written, produced and recorded over a three and a half month period in a Los Angeles studio, alongside renowned producers Brian Kennedy (Jennifer Hudson, Jesse McCartney, Rihanna), Ezekiel "Zeke" Lewis for the Clutch and The Movement among others, Breathing Underwater marks Digby's evolution from "the girl with the guitar" to a fully-emerged artist. Familiar themes continue to dominate her writing--love and all the conflicted emotions that come with it. But as much as Digby matured creatively during the making of Breathing Underwater, she grew even more personally.

"When I was making the album I was falling for someone--someone real and someone in front of me--and that was really scary," she continues. "There were days when I thought, this most wonderful thing I've ever felt. And there were days when I was tormented. That intensity came through in the songs."

So Digby pleads in the moving opening track, "Daybreak," a song about "not wanting a night to end, because you don't know what daylight will bring." The first single, "Avalanche," tracks a couple on the brink of falling apart. Even amidst catchy grooves and hooks, Digby's lyrical honestly shines through.

A tougher Digby surfaces on "Feel" and "Love With A Stranger." The former is taunt to an emotionally unavailable partner, while the latter is an endorsement of no-strings-attached encounters.

"'Feel' is about when you're pouring your heart out and you're not getting any kind of message back," she says. "Give me something, at least let me know that you're alive." The darkly hypnotic "Love With A Stranger" chronicles the desire to connect with another person physically, in the absence of something deeper.

"Come to Life," is a piano-laden pop track that puts the listener smack in the middle of Digby's most intimate thoughts. "It's a message to myself to be patient," she says. "I've learned that love is one of the few things in life that you can't force."

Things lighten up on "Know You By Heart," maybe the most surprising track on the album with its huge pop sensibility and rhythmic, club-worthy hook. "I`ve always loved dance music," admits Digby. "This was my chance to unleash my inner Kylie Minogue."

But it's perhaps "Symphony" that best sums up Digby's mindset. The song is a direct message to her fans--the ones who followed her though her YouTube stardom, open mic shows and first album. "I'm saying, `this is me needing the freedom to express myself musically and I hope you'll be open to it,'" she explains. "What a boring place this world would be if we all stayed still."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Marié ventures from "stand-out" to "blend-in", September 7, 2009

By 

Dean Baird (Sacramento, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Breathing Underwater (Amazon MP3 Exclusive Version) (MP3 Download)

This is a tough one. When I heard Marié Digby on NPR's Morning Edition Saturday with Scott Simon last year, I was so taken with her voice and style that I immediately downloaded "Unfold" from iTunes. The album was enchanting from open to close and most of its tracks remain in heavy rotation on my iPod. Marié's passion, sincerity, and beauty came through loud and clear in well-produced but organic arrangements. I could listen to this collection of songs over and over without losing interest.

Marié is clearly a music wonk. She loves it; she lives it! She works hard at her craft and the success of "Unfold" garnered her a well-deserved higher profile. And she never stops! Look at the wealth of content on her YouTube channel if you think she's not among the hardest working musicians in the business.

She was clearly keen to explore a new path. "Breathing Underwater" is the expression of this desire. Marié is completely ga-ga over her new "baby." And that's as it should be.

But I must confess that the new album falls fairly flat for me. The acoustic production that made her stand out has been replaced with drum machines, multi-layering, and auto-tuning. The delicate, vine-laden garden lattice of "Unfold" has been replaced by a hard, brick wall of sound this time out. Given the current state of mainstream music, she now blends in. I don't know why Marié would want to sound like so many other young women in the pop market. But that's where "Breathing Underwater" deposits her.

Marié is the beautiful woman who doesn't need makeup; you cringe a little bit when you see her layer it on in an apparent attempt to be more like her peers.

In the end it's Marié's call, alone, as to where she takes her music. I have no doubt that "Breathing Underwater" will do very well for her. But it doesn't do much for me. Did I buy it? For $2.99, and given my affection for "Unfold," I could not resist. And I will listen to it several times hoping that something about it grabs me. "Unfold" grabbed me right away and has yet to let go. Marié wanted to move away from "Unfold." I'll nourish a hope that she keeps moving; on to something different for her third album. Perhaps something like Koop or old Zero7...? I'll still see her when she tours. That will likely be my best chance to hear acoustic versions of the new songs.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lost in transition, September 8, 2009

By 

D. de Gruchy (Campbell, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Breathing Underwater (Amazon MP3 Exclusive Version) (MP3 Download)

I love Marie's first album and her youtube covers. Breathing Underwater is a departure from the sound and style that first drew me to her. The new album is multi layered sound spew. That isn't to say there aren't any good songs on it. There are, but you have to wade through a number of less than interesting songs to get to them. While expertly mixed (really, the EQing on this album is phenominal) its limp and lifeless in feeling. Perhaps I over expected it to be more of the same things she's been doing. I admit I just blindly bought the album without listening to it because she's so incredibely talented that I assumed I'd love this venture. If I had to classify this I would say its more Uber-Pop vs her previous style of Indie/Pop. I'm glad she's trying new expressions and ideas, this one though just doesn't fit me completely (hence the 3 stars).

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars In New Waters, September 7, 2009

By 

Mineable (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Breathing Underwater (Amazon MP3 Exclusive Version) (MP3 Download)

Like a few of the previous reviews, I am a Marie Digby fan and have seen her perform live several times. If you have not seen her live, I highly recommend it. In an intimate environment, with Marie and just her voice, keyboards, and guitar, her voice and music is captivating and sounds like she is pouring out her soul just for you. Simplicity speaks volumes for her. Her voice is vulnerable, honest, and tells a story you can relate to.

One of the problems for me that plagued her debut album, "Unfold", was the heavy production on the title track and "Beauty In Walking Away"; when there are too many cooks in the kitchen, tinkering with ProTools, it distracts from her voice and lyrics.

So it was a shock to me when I heard the first single, "Avalanche", from the new album "Breathing Underwater". There was so much going on in the song; it was even more produced than anything on "Unfold".

I read Marie's decision to make her sophomore album "Breathing Underwater" with heavier beats and autotune was to venture out of her comfort zone and try something new. I applaud her for that. If one doesn't take risks, they'll know what they are capable of.

Does the album work? Parts of it. When the production, her voice, and lyrics work, it is a recipe for VERY GOOD Pop with a message ("Crazier Things", the title track, and perhaps "Come To Life" and "Symphony"). When it doesn't, it's a generic dance tune that could be the voice of anybody ("Know You By Heart") or earnest but overbearing ("Feel" - somewhere in this track is a heart-wrenching song, but the over-the-top drum machine blaring is deafening). In "Feel", her vocals and lyrics are top-notch and meaningful, but instead of complimenting her vocals, it sounds like she is competing with the synthesized beats to not be drowned out.

Often the songs are inoffensive, easy to listen to, but indistinguishable. To clarify, a mediocre Marie Digby song is still 90% better than the fluff pop-tarts and Kewpie dolls who infiltrate airwaves and iTunes dole out on a constant basis.

I purchased "Breathing Underwater" because Marie is an artist with a beautiful voice and song-writing that resonates; I hope to see her creating music for a long time to come and I cannot wait to see and hear how she evolves as an artist. Unlike some, she appears to be a musician who isn't afraid to take risks and is in the industry because she loves music and wants to share it.