Essex [Import, Original recording remastered]

Alison Moyet | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 29, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Original recording remastered
• Label: Castle
• ASIN: B0000AM78K
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #478,559 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Falling

2. And I Know

3. Whispering Your Name

4. Getting into Something

5. So Am I

6. Satellite

7. Ode to Boy

8. Dorothy

9. Another Living Day

10. Boys Own

11. Take of Me

12. Ode to Boy II

13. Whispering Your Name [Single Mix][*]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stamp of approval for this Essex girl, July 7, 2004

By 

T. Kavanagh "tony" (Ireland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Essex (Audio CD)

Clearly, Alison Moyet has never found laurels to be a comfortable resting place. Rather than xerox the formula that yielded the critically acclaimed "Hoodoo" - with its Grammy-nominated `It Won't Be Long' - Moyet moved on to a sound that was infinitely more British. Tedious arguments with a label that tried to force her into a latter-day Streisand niche ensued, resulted in the re-recoding of this album.

Having washed her hands of calculated commercialism (to Sony's dismay), Moyet stuck firmly to her artistic guns. There would be no boyband fodder or over-wrought Celine Dionesque balladry. Some gritty guitar-based arrangements on "And I Know," "Ode To Boy," "Another Living Day" and "Boys Own" toughened up her trademark melodic pop sensibilities. Elsewhere, touches of sexy funk warmed "Getting Into Something", playful rhythms drove the hugely catchy "So Am I" and swooning strings added drama to a beautiful and poetic "Satellite." Lyrically, Alison was on top form, shredding a treacherous ex in "And I Know" before working her way towards "Boys Own,"a smart j'accuse in the direction of a sexist, image-fixated music industry. But it wasn't all twisted bitterness. Alison Moyet has a wicked sense of humour and while "So Am I" might upbraid a spineless lover, it does so with a wicked cackle ready to erupt. Overhauling Jules Shear's "Whispering Your Name," Alison enters fun central (and the UK top 20) with panache and a hint of levity. Then you have "Dorothy," a gorgeous acoustic eulogy for a beloved grandmother that neatly sidesteps the mawkishness typical of such songs by lesser artists.

Alison Moyet is not an artist for luddites or the impatient. She doesn't repeat herself and she doesn't pander to the imperious whims of labels or style snobs. Over the course of only five albums to date, she has produced a canon of work with remarkable scope. "Essex" marks a very definite point in her artistic trajectory. That it would take eight years for the next album - the glorious "Hometime" - to see the light of day is, on the one hand, a damning indictment of the music industry but, on the other, a statement of the clear-minded determination of an important artist.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What CD did the rest of you listen to?!?!, July 5, 2004

By 

Philip J. Tatoris (Albuquerque, New Mexico United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Essex (Audio CD)

This CD is excellent. First off, you have the Jules Shear song WHISPERING YOUR NAME, great tune, great voice. I do agree that ODE TO BOY is out of place here, let it stay in the 80's where it belongs. The rest of this CD of original Alison material is all great, each song seems to build on the last, the material is all top rate written, sung and produced, not one bad song on this CD. FALLING, DOROTHY, GETTING INTO SOMETHING, ETC... You can't go wrong with this Alison CD, please ignore poor reviews, this CD is a gem.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent follow-up to Hoodoo!, June 6, 2005

By 

J. A Rodriguez "jrod66" (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Essex (Audio CD)

I will never understand why this CD was not a blockbuster. In mi opinion
Essex was the perfect Pop record. ALL the songs are excellent. On the song "Getting into something" Moyet performs it with a unique sensuality I had never heard in any other singer. What can I say? The production is top notch and Alison is an extremely gifted singer. Get this CD before it gets out of print again. It's truly a gem. Finally, I recommend all her releases. Alf, Raindancing, Hoodoo, Singles, Hometime & Voice (Raindancing was not great but was a pretty good effort produced by famous producer Jimmy Iovine). Enjoy the tremendous vocal talents of Alison Moyet. Can not wait for her next CD. Go Alison!