Cutthroat Standards & Black Pop

Abby Travis | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: July 25, 2006
• Label: Educational Recordings
• Copyright: (C) 2000 Educational Recordings
• Total Length: 1:13:05
• Genres: Alternative Rock/Goth & Industrial, Classic Rock/Glam
• ASIN: B000QZQWRO
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #297,675 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Glitter Mouth Truly Sparkles!, October 7, 2006

By 

Mikey (Adelaide, South Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: GlitterMouth (Audio CD)

****Abby Travis' new album "Glitter Mouth" is a beautiful and intriguing collection of mostly original songs by an artist who effortlessly combines new wave rock with the classic sensibilities of a Classical Hollywood chanteuse. Even with a cover of The Shangri-La's "Past, Present, and Future", and an updated version of Abby's own So Far Away from her previous album "Cut Throat Standards And Black Pop", Abby serves up a delectable blend of spicy yet sweet, bold but breathtaking, and does it all with her uniquely haunting vocals. Abby seems to channel the sultry and evocative Marlene Dietrich, but does so in her own inimitable style.

Abby has the uncanny ability to turn even the most complicated sounding lyric into a seamless and fluid vocalisation. For example, "I'm not condoning such whining and moaning, but still you gotta wonder sometimes when solitude's your only friend..." from her first track "Now Was" might just tongue-tie a less skillful vocalist, but Abby performs the line brilliantly and infuses the song with such poignancy and heartfelt honesty, and avoids sounding self-piteous because of the supreme intelligence of the lyrics.

"Grace" combines a serene main vocal with a more upbeat backing vocal which blends perfectly with the song, but "Blythe" is the most sparkling diamond on an album laden with gems. "Yet my love for you will never fade, like these past couple of months and the memories of mistakes we made, and my love for you will never fade, you took me somewhere where I wouldn't have dared, you saved me babe..." is a soaring refrain which would give even the stoniest heart a much needed jolt. It's impossible to listen to Abby Travis without feeling some emotion.

"Hunger" is a sultry song to start with, but turns into a fantastic rocker with the main chorus taking on a life all it's own. The guitars and bass lines make the surging energy of the song with its "insatiable thrust of the driest lusts' gale..." truly scorching.

"Shoot For The Stars" is a delightful "oom-pa-pa" flavoured song which will have you dancing or at least moving somehow - it's impossible to listen to this song and stay still. The groove just takes you on a "Red Shoes" inspired dance that will leave you wanting more.

"La Petite Mort" is another gem that sustains you with its love and a stunningly new wave musical composition that would work alone as a fantastic instrumental piece, but is thankfully blessed with Abby's divine vocal. "Chase Me" and "Roberto" are also beautiful ballads, but there is something special about "La Petite Mort" that makes it truly sublime.

"Past, Present, And Future" is a lovely and poetic spoken verse song that, if I hadn't alread known it was a Shangri-La's song, I would have swron it had come from Abby's own soul as she gives it a personal resonance that you don't often hear in covers, no matter how good they are. However, when Abby says to a former love "just don't try and touch me, because that will never happen again..." you can feel the pain and longing of a relationship now over, wanting more, but knowing that it is time to move on.

While I admittedly prefer Abby's "So Far Away" as it appeared on her previous album, the new version is quite compelling too, even with the uptempo sound and sound effects that might not give the newer version an instantly emotional appeal as the earlier version, but it's still pleasing.

For anyone who loves beautiful music with an edge, Abby Travis' "Glitter Mouth" will leave you with a desire for more, and a spirit lifted into the realms of the ethereal. Just try listening to the album and not feeling cleansed by its beauty, it isn't possible.****

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A seductive mix of pop, jazz, and alternative, April 3, 2007

By 

E. Anderson - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: GlitterMouth (Audio CD)

Abby Travis used to sing with the legendary industrial juggernaut KMFDM. It is hard to imagine her singing anything else that is not aligned with the band but after listening to "GlitterMouth", it is hard to believe she was in that band. "GlitterMouth" is an exact contrast to everything Abby has done with KMFDM. The music on "GlitterMouth" is a seductive blend of jazz and pop. Abby's smokey vocals reminded me a bit of both Marlene Dietrich and Sade. When I listen to the album, the music makes me feel like I am in a smokey jazz bar drinking a martini. Most of the songs are laid back but every now and then the pace of the song picks up like on "Hunger" which has a more rock sound. It is an ok song but not one of my favorite songs on the cd. I love the playful "Shoot for the Stars". The song sounds something you would hear at a circus with its brisk snare drums and the gentle hints of the wurlitzer playing in the background. I enjoy "GlitterMouth". This is a nice diversion from all the goth and industrial music I normally listen to, plus it is great to hear Abby Travis sing again but as a solo artist.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Glittermouth - Ab Trav is Ab Fab!, October 19, 2007

By 

Skitch - See all my reviews

This review is from: GlitterMouth (Audio CD)

GlitterMouth
Having waited for what seemed an interminably long time to actually get some music, on CD, from Abby Travis - I was not disappointed. If, like me, you live in a small market town in semi-rural England, getting hold of anything, apart from chart music and awful compilation albums, is a task of almost Herculean proportions.
Anyway, gripe over...
I'd only recently managed to get hold of Abby's two previous albums: "Foundation" [blew my mind! - if it's possible for a CD to be worn out through continuous playing, then this one will be], "Cutthroat Standards and Black Pop" [ took some getting used to, this one, as I wasn't quite prepared for Gothic Cabaret but, like its predecessor, this one is excellent - especially with subsequent listening]...
Now we come to "Glittermouth":
This album confirms Abby as a (really) top rate singer, song-writer, musician and multi-instrumentalist. As a bass player, alone, Abby knows how to make this much maligned instrument sing and work for its living - she applies everything in the right order: rhythm, harmony, counterpoint and improvisation. Abby is my second favourite bass player ever (dear old iconic Jack Bruce, of the late sixties "power trio" [description applied with reverence, here] "Cream" will always be number one for me).
My favourite track is "Hunger" - which punches you in the stomach, slaps your face and yells "listen to Me, mere mortals"!
Oh - and the band of musicians that play with Abby on this album are top rate, as well; thought I'd just mention that.
All in all, this album is brilliant and well worth the wait. Vocabulary limits preclude any further comment without sounding sycophantic.
Much respect, Abby, keep independent. Can't wait for a new album!

Skitch