The Great Unwanted [IMPORT]

Lucky Soul

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 7, 2007)
• Original Release Date: April 9, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Ruffa Lane
• ASIN: B000NO1RXW
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #102,182 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

From the stuttering snare drum notes that begin opener "Add Your Light to Mine, Baby," it's clear that Lucky Soul stands poised to revitalize the charming sounds of 1950s-era pop. Thankfully, the U.K. sextet--singer Ali Howard, guitarists Ivor Sims and Andrew Laidlaw, keyboardist Malcolm Young, bassist Toby Fogell, and drummer Nathaniel Perkins--plies its throwback aesthetic without a shred of the veiled insincerity endemic to all forms of musical nostalgia. Instead, Laidlaw's lush arrangements play less like studied reverence than inspired, single-handed attempts to reinvigorate the art of pop orchestration. (Particularly stunning horn work adorns the bombastic "Get Outta Town!") Howard's voice recalls any number of forgone antecedents and de rigueur indie contemporaries, from Petula Clark and Sandy Shaw, to El Perro del Mar (Sarah Assbring) and the Concretes' Victoria Bergsman. But just when the whole endeavor treads a hair's breadth from precious, "Ain't Never Been Cool" dissolves any notion of the band's pretensions in a two-and-a-half-minute slab of celebratory, dance-inducing apologetics. Lyrically, these 13 songs seem disproportionately obsessed with kissing, but then, if there's one thing Lucky Soul's music was tailor-made for, it's gettin' lucky. Try it. --Jason Kirk

Product Description

Japanese pressing includes two bonus tracks. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful pop with excellent musical chops..., September 10, 2007

By	Brendan Hasenstab "bhasenstab" (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

...and a vocalist who can really deliver. With the sweep and the outsider charm of so many great singles from the early 60s, and a great inventive spirit. Choruses as big as a rainbow, and hooks that Motown would have been proud of. This is no pastiche -- it's modern pop done so, so right. Hope they sell boatloads of this album. Perhaps my favorite of 2007.

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good debut, January 20, 2009

By	Brad (Minneapolis MN) - See all my reviews

I agree that this is a highly entertaining pop CD. Espcially Lips are Unhappy. You can't help tap your toes.

I also agree that no CD is worth $31. If you order directly through Amazon.co.uk., this exact same CD is $17.50 US if you order through Amazon UK and that includes shipping & exchange (as of 1-20-09 exchange rates). This is how I ordered Duffy, Adele, Ting Tings, & Arctic Monkeys CD's before they were even available here in the states.

5.0 out of 5 stars Sophisticated but not Lame, July 10, 2008

By	Popweasel (Orlando, Florida) - See all my reviews

Lots of good and popular indie pop will put you to sleep. Lucky Soul, however, tugs at all your emotions and will not allow you to passively listen. Every song is both immediately likable and can be listened to over and over. Ali (the singer) is always compared to Dusty Springfield, but to me she sounds like Nina Persson. But whereas the early Cardigans are subtle and sweet, Ali just plain belts it at times. The band sounds really tight, and all the instruments blend together to smack you in your face. Finally, the orchestration is superb. My favorite album of 2007. If you like the Pipettes, the Cardigans, or any major twee band, then get this album.