Customer Reviews

The House

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

 

 

Let me begin by saying that I think Katie Melua is incredibly talented. I have seen her live and am blown away by her presence and musical prowess on stage, and I own everything she has released. I am equally enamored of Willam Orbit, who produced this record. Sadly, however, this album is by far her weakest offering.

Firstly, the majority of the album's twelve tracks are a bit sparsely produced (for William Orbit, anyway), with most of the focus on vocals and acoustic guitar. If anyone could pull this off, it would be Katie, right? Not so on this record. Having the vocals prominent in the mix works to spotlight some of the most cringeworthy lyrics I've heard in a long time. Tons of lyrical and rhyming cliches abound. Old favorites such as "PAIN & RAIN" and "CRY & DIE" are waiting for you at every turn. "Red Balloon" is a rehash of the typical "Message in a Bottle" lyric. She puts her broken heart into a red balloon, but had she only looked up she would have noticed the sky is full of red balloons. "Will they burst or drift into arms". Not someone's arms, not your ams... just "Arms". Ugh... much of this record sounds like it's set to a third graders poetry. Either clunky, or way too easy to predict. Ultimately, too many of the songs seem to revisit familiar territory. It's all too obvious at times that she's trying to recreate songs she's already written and rewrite lyrics that worked better the first time around, rather than moving forward and trying something new.

Now, I'm not a total hater here. There are a couple of bright spots. The melancholy and theatrical lead single "The Flood" and the equally engaging second single "A Happy Place" are both recommended downloads. "A Moment of Madness" is a fun musical departure, and the album opener, "I'd Love to Kill You" is classic Melua.

Unfortunately, William Orbit's production is very muted on this record, and only shows up in a couple of key spots, leaving you wishing he had done more to pump some life into this somewhat dull affair. As much as I enjoy Miss Melua's music, I doubt I'll being playing this one anywhere near as often as her other albums.

Elaborately produced by William Orbit, UK songstress Katie Melua's fourth album "The house" isn't the glitchy electronic dance album one might expect. Lead-off single "The flood" starts off a gentle ballad kicking into high gear with soft Dance beats half way in, and "Plague of love" is upbeat and groovy.

Everything else is lush piano Pop much like the Melua of old. The acoustic "I'd love to kill you" (letting her crystal clear vocals soar), the waltzy vaudeville "A moment of madness", the sombre "No fear of heights" ("When you give me love, I have no fear of heights"), the beautiful old world-sounding ballad "The one I love is gone", the snarling Bluesy "God on the drums, devil on the bass", and the creepy "Twisted".

Highlight has got to be the title track. A soft guitar ballad with ghostly harmonies, weird flourishes, swelling strings and cryptic lyrics about some house, with Melua's vocals starting all hushed and sweeping to skyscraping heights. Absolutely stunning!

I became very excited about this album and bought it as an import
3 months before it was released in the states !
Katie Melua does not dissapoint , I love her voice and such amazing performer.
Love to see her break big in america.

I really like this album.
The Flood, Twisted, A Happy Place, and The House are my favorites. Katie has brought different elements into this album, which can give listeners various feelings, rich and intense.
I do recommend this!!

My wife and I LOVE Katie Melua. This is the third album we have purchased and she continues to deliver outstanding vocals. If you have fallen in love with her earlier works, this will continue to make you a believer. She has changed producers but has kept the same even flow to her work.

After listening to this beautiful album by one of the best artists in the world, i completely fell in love with Katie Melua and her amazing voice. This is real music, not fake pop trash.
I recommend this, 10 stars!!

If you love Katie's other albums, this will be a little disappointing. Noticably missing is the contribution of Mike Batt, songwriter and producer on Katie's first three albums. The lyrics are darker and shallow for lack of a better term.

When i found out the release date in USA would be Aug 3rd, my wife wanted to order it knowing how much i love Katie Melua's music, unfortunately i am still playing her previous records way more often than "the House". what's missing? from a fan's point of view, i found it too plain, the color of her voice it's still there, but the need to play one of the tracks after falling in love with it, never existed. Was i expecting the old Katie? of course. I understand that offering more of the same it might not be the best thing for an artist, but was i ready for this? honestly, nope. I don't hate it, but I'll continue playing "piece by piece", "call of the search", "pictures" and skip this one.

Note: she is still my favorite female singer

This is my first introduction to Katie Melua, and I love it. Favorites include the theatrical ballad "The Flood," the off-beat "Tiny Alien," and the last four tracks -- "Plague of Love," "God on the Drums, Devil on the Bass," "Twisted" and "The House." It's got me delving back into the older catalogue to explore more of her music. She reminds me at times of Kate Bush, Amanda Palmer (from Dresden Dolls) and the defunct "A Particularly Vicious Rumor," but Katie definitely has her own unique take on things. If you like off-beat, cabaret-ish, singer-songwriters, you'll love this CD.

There are bits of cabaret confetti littered throughout Melua's latest. You can almost picture a gaslit South Chicago tavern, as Melua gypsy-struts her way through the disturbing weirdness of "I'd Love to Kill You" (with a kiss, so she says); the oompah heartbeat of "A Moment of Madness;" and the self-conscious, spotlit twirl of "Red Balloons." This isn't rock, pop, or Broadway, yet, at the same time, it is. Melua adds enough mystery to each vocal performance that you're not sure where she's going to go with it. Sometimes, she practically leaps off the stage (the disco interlude in the middle of "The Flood"). Producer William Orbit adds subtle electronic coloring, turning each song into a tableau of its own. Melua is not all self-absorbed drama, however, as evidenced in her funky spin in "God on the Drums and the Devil on the Bass," and her self-deprecating hypochondria in "Plague of Love." Step up to a new residence.