Falling Off the World

Leslie Mills (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 14, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Tiny Violet Records
• ASIN: B0028ERANQ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #369,124 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Leslie Mills' third full-length album, titled Falling Off The World, came with nary an announcement. Usually in films that means straight to DVD where it deservedly gets buried in time, like it never existed. Fortunately, Leslie's album deserves your attention. Was it ever a question of quality to begin with? For those who have enjoyed the previous two albums, like myself, it would be hard to imagine anything less than good and that's thinking of the worst possible outcome. Whatever the reason for Leslie sneaking the new record quietly to retail, be assured that Falling Off The World is of the same caliber as the albums that came before it. Let's go into detail. The synthesized vocal intro to the first track Once In A While sounds like a choir of angels heralding the beginning of a wondrous musical journey. I can't help but smile upon hearing the piano, acoustic guitar, and bass in Leslie's songs, as it's always nice to hear organic instruments in pop music. Of course, that smile turned into a bigger smile upon hearing Leslie's distinctive voice. Once In A While has an upbeat danceable groove with a melody that will shame many of the current mainstream non-singer/songwriter pop artists. Continuing the upbeat rhythm of the previous track, Circles Around The Sun reminds us of the '80s in a similar fashion as Ladyhawke's Morning Dreams. The electric guitar and pumping bassline gives this track a rock tinge that definitely places this song in the pop-rock category. Circles Around The Sun's delicious melody is hard to resist. The album's title track Falling Off The World, doesn't fail to impress either. The electronic/synth arrangement is just immaculate. What I'm trying to say is that while most electronic music relies on the synthesized sounds to fill in the song, this track is complemented by the use of it. It sounds futuristic with all the electronic sounds, yet it's heavily anchored to what really drives this song, the melody. And if that's not enough, Leslie's lead and background vocal work kicks this track up a notch. You can check out the live session video below to see just how well the melody of this song stands up in the acoustic performance. It took a couple of listens for me to realize just how sweet the next track, titled Sweeter, is and it gets sweeter after successive listens. But what really makes this song sweet, as I've been praising previously, is the warm and vibrant voice of Leslie Mills. There's just something heavenly in her voice. I was almost convinced that Curt Smith would be singing the next track after I heard the intro. The Things My Heart Could Say reminded me of the Tears For Fears opus, Everybody Wants To Rule The World. Needless to say, this instantly became a favorite of mine. I could go on a whole day listening to this song on repeat. I just love it that much. Perhaps my craze over The Things My Heart Could Say overshadowed my attention towards the next track, Never Too Soon, but soon I realized just how amazing this track is. Never Too Soon is delivered in an upbeat electro-pop arrangement. With its powerful melody and emotional intensity, I think a slow-ballad arrangement would also work, but regardless of the arrangement, this is definitely one of my favorites. Awesome songwriting Chris and Leslie! --KGRL.fm

(continued).. The song She Told Me So branches out and gives us a hint of reggae. It's great to hear a bit of variety on a record. The piano-driven track Take It Home teaches us a thing or two about life Only take what you need, leave the rest here. / Find a happier place, you belong there. While both tracks offer very enjoyable listens, they did not impress me as much as the tracks before. I'll skip One Determined Heart for now and tell you all about the rock-edged song Room To Breathe. The distorted guitar on a backdrop of synthesized music fares well but I really prefer a full band-based arrangement for such. The tracks One Determined Heart and Be My Water are the emotional heavy-hitters on the album. One Determined Heart does away with the upbeat to concentrate more on gorgeous lines and hooks. The vibe gently reminded me of the classic ballad Looking Through The Eyes Of Love, while the closing track Be My Water opens the floodgates to a rush of emotions. Chris and Leslie really know how to make their listeners weep. This song was produced by David Kahne and features a full-band arrangement yes, finally, real drums! Many people do not realize that most pop singers rely on professional songwriters to give them material for their albums. What makes it a cruel joke is that most of these artists are the ones who "make it big." And this is why my heart will always belong to singer/songwriters. A fine example of this is Leslie Mills. Falling Off The World is one of the finest pop singer/songwriter records out there right now. It's time to indulge yourself in sensible pop music. --Kgrl FM

Product Description

Breezy Summer Day. Kickin' Back. Taking a drive. Relaxed Pop/Rock with a retro twist. The latest release from songstress Leslie Mills, "Falling Off The World", takes a breezy melodic approach to her softer pop side with apparent retro influences. Suitable for a drive on a summer afternoon, or just kicking back..there is something freeing to the spirit of each song on the album. Wonderful songs, memorable melodies, and smart songwriting.. Producers include Chris Pelcer, Leslie Mills, David Kahne.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A hidden gem, September 11, 2009

By 

Dieter listens to KGRL - See all my reviews

This review is from: Falling Off the World (MP3 Download)

I love the music of Leslie since I first discovered it listening to KGRL radio. Despite her successful collaboration with Yanni for "Yanni Voices" and their tour with many sold-out shows Lesie's release of the awesome album Falling Off the World remains undeservedly unnoticed.

I can't stop listening to my favorite song The Things My Heart Could Say...