Customer Reviews

Jigsaw

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

For her age (24), Lady Sovereign has already accomplished allot in her career. Despite being young, white, and British, Sovereign is the first foreign female artist signed by Def-Jam records. Jigsaw is her second album.

Sovereign definitely has a different sound than most American rappers. Her sound is a little poppy (somewhat like the Veronicas), a little techno, and of course a little hip-hop. Her newest Album, Jigsaw is listenable, but I found it a bit stale by track 4. The problem is that her songs all kinda sound the same. My favorite tracks are 2 (So Human)and 7 (Guitar), which also seem to be the most distinctive tracks on the album.

In sum, Jigsaw is listenable and has some good songs for dancing, but I wouldn't pay more that 8 dollars for it.

Lady Sovereign makes some awesome music! It is not exactly rap/hip-hop, as it has a much more up-beat tone, and change in sound. Instead of having a constant mundane beat that gets old after listening to it over and over, there is a lot of change in the tone. I think part of what I like about her music is the way she changes her voice's tone a lot, which adds to the music. All of this combined make for music that does not have the pattern of an over-used chorus. Most choruses are delightful, and catchy in Lady Sovereign's music.

The music is more jovial, and has a happier tune in comparison to most. The lyrics can be described as "cute" and "fun" instead of the normal and more serious type of lyrics that tend to revolve around romance, love, or a hard life found in most music. The accent also gives the music a different feel, and makes it stand out against the rest of my collection as a unique sounding masterpiece. Definitely a pleasure to listen to!

With "Jigsaw," listeners can tell that Lady Sovereign's still a little lost as to what kind of music she wants to make.

Lady Sovereign has always dangerously straddled the line between rap and dance club music. "Jigsaw" marks a change of pace, in which the British rap star decided to switch to M.I.A. style rap and dance music.

But Lady Sovereign is not exactly as original or as fresh as M.I.A. Sure, her first song is a hot tune with hard-hitting club beats and squeeking electronic sounds. Sovereign sounds pretty sexy singing in a low alto "I'm weird and you're weird/Let's be mates."

Her next song, however, is a little flat. She raps to some really cheap synthesizer sample of "Close To Me." And with weird lyrics such as "And when the beat went on, and it really ain't f***in' hot enough/You should've seen me runnin' out the studio like Forrest Gump", she really just doesn't do her original sample justice.

Sometimes Sov tries to sing like a diva, as in the title track "Jigsaw," but it doesn't work. Her vocal work is decent at best, but it sounds so out of place with the cheap rock beat and the dull string ensemble in the background.

Finally, listeners will get really tired of her cheesy vocal effects. It's tiring to listen to Sov say "doin' it" with that scratchy low vocoder effect for the twenty-umpteenth time in "I Got You Dancing."

It's a shame, because she has quite a lot to say in her album. There's nothing more irresistable that her song "Pennies," in which she sings "How many pennies have been gone from me?" to a bumping dance beat and some funky wah-wah synthesizers.

Still, Sov's album sounds decent for a rap/dance album. Sure, Sov is definitely no M.I.A., but she still sounds reasonably cool and sexy on "Jigsaw." She just doesn't sound great.

As Disc Jockeys, we're always looking for great beats to do my mixes with. Spinning discs for radio stations, underground nightclubs and raves is what we do.

Lady Sovereign gives us an opportunity to reach back in the past with our music libraries from artists like: Kraftwerk, Kano, Yellow Magic Orchestra, etc...

Although, lyrically, she has her own style, she seems to be a little repetitive on alot of her songs. Unquestionably, as she continues to grow, she will find herself, both musically and experimentally. You'll see that she's the female Eminem of the U.K., she just chose a different route to start with, but if she stays the course... she will expand her talents as she surrounds herself with seasoned talented artists and musicians .

I personnally look forward to more from this budding artists.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not a hip-hop fan, but I do enjoy electronic music (e.g., Ladytron, Client, etc.) and pop divas such as Lady Gaga. This album seems a bit schizophrenic. The first few cuts strive for that pop hook that will sell the album across multiple categories. I find that the latter part of the album, which I'd toss into the more traditional hip-hop category, is more enjoyable and doesn't seem to be trying too hard. Perhaps it's because this is where Lady Sovereign is in more familiar territory.

My summation: This is a listenable, light-weight summer album without a lot of depth or innovation. Great background music for a party, but not something I'd turn to when scrolling through my iPod looking for something specific.

I pinged a friend who is deeply familiar with this genre and she had a similar response saying that "[Lady Sovereign's] sound didn't seem that original."

The sophomore album from English rapper Louise Amanda Harman a.k.a. Lady Sovereign. Lady Sovereign is a grime artist (urban music from East London combining UK garage, dance hall and hip hop) who has pushed to show that she's a legit music artist and an example of an artist where hard work, persistence and using the Internet in getting one's name out.

Known for her furious delivery with her rap lyrics and typically sporting a masculine clothing and her share of controversies, Lady Sovereign is free from corporate label wrangling by leaving Island and now doing music her way and her own style by her calling the shots through Midget Records (part of EMI).

Since the release of her 2006 album "Public Warning", the next two years would feature the artist going through a variety of challenges in her personal life but also her enjoying electronic music and that newfound passion shows in her latest album "JIGSAW". An album that features tracks written by her but also multiple collaborations with several artists and producers.

The first track "Lets Be Mates" features a pretty cool monosynth-pop track about wanting to hook up. Overall, an alright opening track but its when you get to the second track that features an interpolation of "Close to Me" originally performed by The Cure that things pickup. Overall, a pretty awesome track featuring a cool, hip hop track that utilizes Robert Smith's track quite well. An addicting track overall!

The third track "Jigsaw" features a song about missing an old love and being pissed that things are not the same as before. The track is produced by Dr. Luke and overall, a deep track with cool rhymes and cool music and great use of violin throughout the track.

The fourth track "BANG BANG" features a bass-driven, almost late 80's hip hop nostalgic style of track.

The fifth track features the only single from the album titled "I got you dancing..." featuring an upbeat, dance track. Overall, a slick dance track with addictive beats.

The sixth track "Pennies" is a synth pop track and perhaps this is Lady Sovereign's middle finger going up to her former record company. About how money was made from her, as Sov ask's "How many pennies have you gotten from me...".

The seventh track "Guitar" features cool grooves, cool beats with an underlying violin playing in the background. Overall, a deep song about getting used to the fame.

The eight track "Student Union" utilizes early 80's synth-style music and a song possibly about the people she couldn't stand at the school and being a high school dropout.

The ninth track "Food Play" is an all out sexual and sensual track. A slow-tempo track that was OK but just didn't dig the high vocoder vocals used during the song.

The final track features Lady Sovereign writing about the fame and people adding her on Facebook and addressing those who want her for rhymes and those who are Cling-ons. Another synth, experimental musical track.

The CD insert booklet features the lyrics to the tracks on the album.

JUDGMENT CALL:

Lady Sovereign's latest album "JIGSAW" is definitely an album that showcases the 23-year-old's delivery of rhymes. In fact, this time around, things are much more brighter in terms of the music compared to the dark, angsty lyrics and music from her last album.

Some tracks such as "Bang Bang", "Jigsaw" and "Guitar" are enjoyable tracks and "So Human" is quite addicting to listen to, even if it uses The Cure's "Close To Me" as its musical backdrop. But the album "JIGSAW" is a mix bag. "Student Union", "Food Play" and "I Got the Goods" were OK tracks but doesn't end the album on a sensational note especially since the album starts off with some awesome, upbeat, well-crafted tracks.

But in the end, I think that Sov's independence and having her own freedom on her own imprint label gives her more creative freedom and I'd love to see more collaborative work and really come up with some crazy, creative music but keeping up her furious delivery of competent lyrics as she continually has demonstrated.

Overall, "JIGSAW" is a pretty cool, upbeat album that definitely is more on the creative experimental side as you get a good balance of electro, synth pop, hip hop and old school grooves and beats. You'll definitely find a good number awesome tracks on this album worth checking out!

I'm admittedly not a big fan of hip hop, but Lady Sovereign's attempt certainly leaves mixed results.

Yeah, it's not really hip hop, but rap with a somewhat fused hip-hop/techno backdrop. The result is interesting, but she does come across as somewhat grating and the "tune" competes with her in terms of who can be more grating/loud.

Don't get me wrong...I love loud music, but I actually get a headache trying to filter her words through the haze of sound.

My only other quip is the rather over-used cliche of having an artist use his/her name as a "story" point in a song. Oh, really? Is that how you like things? Is that how you want them? How many hundreds of time has that been poetic device been shoved through my inner ear?
The only redeeming track, however, is an interesting spin on an old Cure tune with "So Human." It's a pretty good track overall, well-produced, and certainly showcases Lady Sovereign as someone who may have a potential future in the industry. But the remaining tracks can easily be left on the side of the road without any loss.

If you can buy an individual track, go with "So Human". Avoid the rest of the album.

Lady Sovereign has her own hip-hop-synth-pop-electro sound. Listening to the first three tracks (Let's Be Mates, So Human and Jigsaw) I was able to interpret that her lyrics was representing her own personal life with the whirlwinds of fame and the music business. She sounds like the "wrong side of the tracks" girl that is trying to take charge of her own life. She offers a variety of genres from rap, pop, new-wave, hip-hop and electro pop/dance throughout this album. That's a lot of variety! Her quirky raps and wordplay gives her music an uplift beat to them. Now there are some songs that are just "skippable" like Food Play and I Got the Goods but overall I enjoyed this CD. Somewhat disappointed though that there are only 10 songs with a total playing time of 37 minutes. Lady Sovereign I believe experiments with much of the music on this album because she is just trying to find out who she really is and what she really wants. All in all she is just having fun and I would recommend this CD so you can judge it for yourself.

The vertically challenged Lady Sovereign returns. And why should you care? Sov still seems to be taking fashion advice from Sporty Spice. She's annoying Robert Smith with her use of Cure song 'Close to Me' in (recent single) "So Human." Lyrically and musically, she's no longer just competing with the boys. She's also up against the wit of Lily Allen and the beats of M.I.A. Why should you care? Because at 23, Sov has come a long way from the bedroom of her now-demolished Norf London council estate. Responding to the pressures of fame, she's still as brash and cheeky as ever. Plus, she'll get you dancing. As she sings on the appropriately titled "I Got You Dancing:" "You ain't never heard of a girl who could do it like this."

Lady Sovereign is good at what she does - rap.

Unfortunately, there are some songs on this 10 track album which I feel aren't up to par to her previous works. At times the songs can seem downright repetitive and some just don't work - props to some expansion of her style though.

Here's a track by track by track rating with comparisons of other artists/songs/genres.

1. Let's be Mates - 2/5. Think Azzido De Base having a kid with Cake (The band not the food). Decent beat nonsensical lyrics. Not enjoyable from Sovereign.

2. So Human - 5/5. Best track on the album hands down. Samples the Cure's "Close to Me".

3. Jigsaw - 2/5. She's singing - kinda like Kanye trying to sing sans Autotune. Horrible.

4. Bang Bang - 2/5. A Black Eye Pea-like track unfortunately not a good one.

5. I Got You Dancing - 4/5. Certainly like a good Black Eye Peas song catchy and pop-py.

6. Pennies - 3/5. I swear she channeled M.I.A. for this track. Would have liked it more had it been M.I.A. not Sovereign.

7. Guitar - 4/5. Think Kanye West/ Twista. Has the violins. Certainly good beat and production value.

8. Student Union - 2/5 . Rastafarian in nature (Reggae) its like a copy of track 1 with reggae beat. Too repetitive - like Kelis' "Milkshake" in a bad way.

9. Food Play - 3/5 Mediocre follow up track. Sounds like Gangsta Rap of the 90's. Somewhat out of character for her but a good changeup.

10. I Got The Goods - 4/5 Reminiscent of Kelis's "Milkshake" in a good way - Unique and catchy. Unfortunately many of the songs seem too repetitive.


Overall 3.5/5
Had it not been for a few repetitive tracks and some just downright scary ones 4 was possible.

But give her props she really is expanding her style - Unfortunately, it comes off like M.I.A. or Kelis and sometimes both.

Again best track - "So Human" by a mile!