Customer Reviews

Breathing Under Water

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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 The delicate, vine-laden garden lattice of "Unfold" has been replaced by a hard, brick wall of sound this time out.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.

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).

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.

I rated this one star not because it's terrible, but because it's terrible compared to her first CD. That was pure, simple, beautiful, unique. Breathing Underwater is over-produced and sounds like a 1000 other singers. Marie... Please fire your new handlers and go back to the studio and people who produced your first CD.

This album has been a delight to listen to. I have heard very few perfect albums, but this compares to the beauty of albums like Vanessa Carlton "Heroes and Theives" and even John Mayer's "Continuum." I dropped dead when I saw amazon selling this album for so cheap. I would pay 40$ to have the songs "Machine" and "Feel" alone. This album connects Marie's beautiful lyrics with emotional tempos that together make an album that will be remembered by all who listen to it.

My first song I ever heard by Marie was her sublime "Miss Invisible" on youtube--you know the video of her on the piano without editing or special sound effects? I fell in love with her sound--its quality, its capacity to carry emotion, most of all how natural she sounded. I soon bought Unfold and loved every song on that album (though I was somewhat reserved on her Rihanna cover).

I watched her music video release of "Feel" a few months ago and I was worried what kind of album she was going to create. My fears were correct. What I once heard in her voice is entirely buried underneath all the textures and effects she filled her new album with. I don't like this type of music and it has completely destroyed my image of Marie as unique and different, or as one reviewer has put it: "stand-out".

I know she's proud of this album and she should be, she's fulfilling her dreams and making music which she loves. I congratulate her and wish her all the best. However, the next time I tell someone about Marie Digby, my voice isn't going to be filled with the adoration it once was.

If you have followed this talented singer/songwriter since the beginning as I have, then you'll realize the substance and the essence of who she is and what she expresses is still there. Listen closely, close your eyes and "hear" the voice. It's different than "Unfold", and it's different than what we've seen her do when she started sharing her music with us. The appeal of her pure voice and simple performances were what drew us to her. Her stunning beauty didn't hurt either. This studio influenced second album is what many aspiring singers strive to one day have the chance to record. An appealing "Pop"ular sound to attract and build their audiences. I predict if Marie's album catapults her into the main stream spotlight, you'll see her return to give us doses of the sound that we've all come to love about her. Maybe not in every future song, maybe not an album full of "acoustic" Marie, maybe not in every music video, but she'll reward us while she continues on her quest to broaden her audience. As far as this album is concerned, I've so far enjoyed what I've heard and find the more I listen, the more I like it. I think you will too. You don't have to look very hard to find the Marie we love in this album.

I am madly in love with Marie Digby for her Unfold album. She did it for me, the pure wonder of her pretty voice. So when the time came I just put my money down for this album, no questions asked. Ouch;, she would not have gotten her foot in the front door with this album. Drum beats and hand claps. Yep, a lot of drum beats and hand claps. I'll be putting this CD in the "Goes To Goodwill" box.

When I first discovered Marie Digby, I was overjoyed. A popular artist who DIDN'T sound just like everyone else...how much better could it get? I really liked her acoustic sound, because it allowed her voice to shine without being overcome by the music.
Upon finding out she was releasing her sophomore album, I was really excited. Then...I came here to sample it. Wow. Let's just say my face fell considerably. The acoustic guitar that defined Digby so much in her debut has seemed to disappear, replaced by a more electric and upbeat sound. Suddenly her voice isn't so noticeable anymore...it's all about the fact that now she sounds just like everyone else.
I don't think the entire album is horrible; there are a few songs that are good. "Feel" particularly stands out to me--it's a new sound, definitely, but Marie succeeds with it. I wouldn't have minded seeing a few songs exploring that new sound, but when the entire album does it, it just falls flat.
If this is the first you have heard of Marie Digby, then who knows, you may like it. But if you are a fan of her debut album, like me, then don't waste your money. I sincerely hope that Marie gets some sense into her when she makes her third album, and returns back to the sound that made us fall in love with her in the first place.

Really corny pop music, very disappointing (not sure now what I had read or heard that made me think it would be more mature and singer-songwriter-ish). Now I see that she sells records in Japan, and it all makes perfect sense.