Customer Reviews

Elbow Beach

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This latest album from young, gorgeous Brit girl Louise Nurding is a truly jaw-dropping return to form. Steering away from the power ballads and pretty pop that made her a chart name in the UK after her split from Eternal, the sound this time round is a lot more funky and soulful; almost as if Louise has returned to her Brit soul Eternal roots except a pop element is very much maintained. Very similar to the kind of thing Paula Abdul was trying to achieve with "Spellbound" back in the early 90s.

Effortlessly sexy and co-written by the singer, every single track is pure pop candy but made with a difference; perfect, focused pop production, funky beats + noises with a smooth, contemporary rNb edge. But this is no Destinys Child rip off > no sign of Shekspere, Kandi, Rodney Jerkins and Missy E here! From the pop brilliance of the message laden opening track "Beautiful Inside" -"try reaching for higher aspirations"- to the infectious comeback hit/ backstabbing anthem "2 Faced" -"'cause you're so sad bitchin' behind my back, Honey I don't need that, so kick it to the kerb because I heard ya"- right through to the closing delights of the dreamy, way-too-short "Lost", the album hits at every point. Other highlights include her dedication to Footballer husband Jamie Redknapp: the romantic, upbeat "First Kiss (The Wedding Song)"/ the clubby sounds of "For your eyes only" (and no, it's not the James Bond theme)/ the sublime JOhnny Douglas produced "Egyptian Queen" -"I had a dream, I was an Egyptian Queen > floating down the Nile, in serious style"-/ her anthem to womanhood "The best Thing (about being a woman)"/ the Janet Jackson-esque slower jams "Thats what Friends are for" + "Take you there"/ and the big beat, up tempo "City boy fix" -"baby, just to get her kicks > she needs a city boy fix".

Rumoured to have been dropped by her record label EMI UK -due to poor sales, Louise should nevertheless be proud of this fantastic album and deserves more credit and attention for producing a work that is radio-friendly, dancefloor-ready, catchy but confident, mature and lyrically inspiring. Despite the poor sales, "Elbow Beach" received good critical attention when it was released in the UK last summer and "2 Faced" hit the Top 3 making it her biggest hit to date. So forget the trash sounds of the teenage set and check this out. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED if you like Britney + Christina but want higher stimulation or if you love the urban pop of Debelah Morgan + Tamia.

AND hunt down the CD singles for "Beautiful inside" + "2 Faced" to get extra tracks, the impressive club remixes + the fantastic promo videos.

Louise's 3rd album "Elbow Beach" was named for the place she wed her hesband UK footballer Jamie REdknap. As one reviewer put it the tracks pretty much deal with the joys of being and in love and the bliss of her marriage. Having been known as much for her sexy pics in UK men's mags as her singing Louise's 3rd album didnt get quite the promotional push in the press despite yielding 2 big singles.

The album itself is very RnB flavoured pop by way of the UK. Lots of heavy bass and urban beats dominate the tracks but there is still a very melodic pop element to the album. The standout track is also the lead single "2faced" where Louise tell her detractors and so-called friends "to stop their bitchin".

Louise distances herself from her more whole early works. The slow and sexy groove of "The Best thing" Louise sings "the best things about being a woman, you don't have to take it lying down-cook in the kitchen, whore in the bedroom- honey i'll be your teacher".

I was surprised "for your eyes only", a dancefloor ready track complete with a thumping four/four beat was unfortunately unrealeased as a single. The track is easily one of her best songs since the naked album. Lyrically the track is sexy bedroom talk but the sounds are irrisistible. I could see kylie minogue singing this as well.

The album tracks are all pretty good "Lost", "Bedtime", "in our room" are all good RnB tinged songs while "egyptian queen" slows thing down with a melodic groovy beat. Louise sings about daydreaming about being royalty "cruisin' the Nile in serious style".

Overall the album is a good album especially for fans of Lousie. In my opinion its probably the weakest of her three albums though with many songs being very similar in sound/style. Having said that the standout songs are quite good and worth listening to on their own merits.

This is a great album. I still prefer her previous 2 albums. But because I like every song on this album it still gets a 4 stars. This album grows on you alot from the first listen.

There are lots of funky songs, which are a bit of a new style for Louise. Like '2faced', 'beautiful inside', 'first kiss' and 'city boy fix'. I particuarly like 'lost' and 'for your eyes only' but 'egyptian queen' is my favourite song on the album. Which is funny because was one of my least favourite when I first heard...

Initially a member of British girl group Eternal(who had a moderate hit here in the states waaaayy back in '93 with the song 'Stay'), Louise left that group for a solo career after their first album, and enjoyed alot of solo success with her first two albums. On this, her third solo release, she forgoes the typical Euro-dance/pop sound that permeated her first two albums and gravitates more towards a sleek R&B sound, with excellent results. Very similar in vein to Madonna's undervalued masterpiece BEDTIME STORIES, ELBOW BEACH is basically of celebration of Louise's relationship with her new husband--she wrote or co-wrote much of the music, gravitating between love('First Kiss') and sex('Bedtime'). Apparently a popular subject of tabloid fodder in the UK, she strikes back at her detractors with the biting '2Faced', and if she doesn't pull it off with quite the venom of say, Madonna(think 'Human Nature'), it's still a terrifically great respite from the goody-goody pop out there now. A great investment for those who love great R&B-laced pop.

This is a sassy, sexy confident 3rd offering from Louise, after an illustrious career with Eternal she sold several million albums in uk, europe and far east with 'Naked' (1996) and 'Woman In Me (1997). This return is grown up and is from the heart, with the vast majority of tracjs written herself she proves to be more than just a pretty face and a voice. Stand out tracks are '2-Faced' the top 3 uk smash hit from summer 2000 and 'Beautiful Inside' (12, Nov 2000). Others include the discoesque 'For your eyes only' and the very country 'City Boy Fix'. However this did not sell that well in the UK, after peaking at number 12 on the network album charts it failed to reach predicted sales figurs, sparking rumors she was to be dropped.

Thankfully this proved to be incorrect, a new 'hits' album is ready with all her singles also her eternal hits and new tracks, called 'Changing Faces' it is out in late summer 2001 whilst we are currently gearing up for the single release of the Stealer's Wheel's classic 'Stuck In The Middle Of You'. A recent stint fronting the UK's most popular saturday morning show on the biggest network threw her back into the public eye as did recent 'holiday snaps' that graced all of the tabloids. The omens now look very good for Britains brightest and best female star.

Louise could be called Britain's Pop Vixen, with a membership in soulful R&B group Eternal and many hits ("Naked", "Undivided Love", "Let's Go Round Again", etc.). A more mature Louise emerged with this album, spawning two hit singles, "2 Faced" and "Beautiful Inside". Sadly though, this album did not receive any more single releases, though many could have been big hits in my opinion ("For Your Eyes Only", "Egyptian Queen", and "City Boy Fix"). A really well produced, written, and sung pop collection, and the last fresh Louise record, before her Greatest Hits album is released later this year.

One of the best pop release of the year 2000. Louise comes back with a mature and sophisticated album perfectly produced by Matt Elliss and written by Louise Herself. "Elbow Beach", her 3d solo album, enlightens Louise' states of mind about love and private confessions ("The wedding song (First kiss), "In our room"). The result is an outstanding melt of dance ("For your eyes only"), r&b ("That's what friends are for") and dancin' pop creations ("Beautiful inside", the catchy "City boy fix"). Best tracks, in my opinion, are the fabulous 1st single "2 FACED" (Check out the double cd set with club remixes and video) and the captivating "LOST"(the sequel to "In our room").

A very good pop album with dance tinged songs and a few ballads thrown in. In a world of Britney and Christina, this is a more sophisticated take on the pop music scene. It handles a broader range of topics i.e. first single "Two Faced" which deals with back stabbers. She is huge in England and has yet to get Air Play in North America. I don't know why as she is a cut above the competition. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable CD. Her other CD's, available only as imports are worth checking out as well.