Customer Reviews

Lessons to Be Learned

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A number have people have found success in recent times, after allowing one of their songs to be used in a TV commercial. Off the top of my head I can think of people like José González, Feist, Yael Naim...

Well, now we can add to that list the name of Australian songstress Gabriella Cilmi (pronounced "chill me"), who generated quite a buzz here in the UK after her sparkly song "sweet about me" was used to promote a new 'upside down' version of a deodorant for women. On it she sings: "If there's lessons to be learned/ I'd rather get my jamming words in first oh/ Tell ya something that I've found/ That the world's a better place when it's upside down boy", so you can see how it ties in neatly with the product in question. I certainly wanted to know who the song was by and it was my main man Joe who came to my rescue, put me out of my misery and told me who it was. (Thanks Joe!)

For me, none of the other songs match the sheer magic of "sweet about me", sadly, (and it is available as a single) but this is no one-hit album. Other notable tracks include the groovy opener, "save the lies", the mournful "sanctuary", "einstein", the amazingly infectious "don't want to go to bed now", "messy", the pleading ballad "safer", "sit in the blues" and the UK bonus track, "echo beach", a thumping, electric guitar-driven number. Joseph didn't think that I'd like this album but I so do. It's so fresh!

Cilmi's spine-chilling voice reminds me of someone else's but up until now, I've not been able to put my finger on who that might be. (A cross between Jill Scott and Amy Winehouse, dare I suggest?) Her sound is definitely her own though and she delivers it refreshingly and assurdly on this release. Production is by Xenomania (Girls Aloud, Sugababes) and I have to agree with the editorial on this one: this is pop perfection with a twist.

I have a feeling she's going to do well with this, particularly in this country and across Europe, where 'quirky' and 'difficult-to-categorise' are often quicker to find favour than they are in the US. The album climbed up to #8 on the UK Top 40 this week, while the single is at #19, which is telling in itself. It's a pity there are no sound clips but if you were looking for some left-of-centre music and a female singer with a quirky, unique and unbridled vocal style, this one's for you. Highly recommended.

Hearing something great from my old town is a bonus for a start, but with this CD there is a whole lot more going on than sentimentality.

Gabriella launches with an energetic and essentially fun album with lots of variety. At her relatively young age her voice shows extraordinary promise. She delivers a wonderful bluesy tone now and I can't wait to hear how this voice and song writing ability matures over time. It is a fantastic first album with the promise of a lot more to come. After a few listens it does sound a little thin and 'young' and you notice the immaturity, but that's actually okay! She is young!

However, here is a confidence in delivery that is very compelling. I also appreciate the different direction that Gabriella has taken than the '1,000 plus sound roughly alike zero content generic stamped 'wannabees'.

She has the ability to rise above the MTV music video writhing femmes with their now obligatory rap artist counterparts and carve out a long lasting career.

I sincerely hope her management helps protect her from the bland ordinariness of pop-culture.

Hard to define. Almost pure pop, but has an edge with hints of Debra Harry attitude with some 60's retro pop sounds and beats, and a voice that sends shivers up your spine. An album that hints of better things to come.

But that voice, just keeps you coming back for more and more.

I probably wouldn't have heard of Gabriella Cilmi or her album if not for my Amazon buddy Olukayode Balogun. I must confess, I was a bit wary as I wasn't too sure of his Pop antecedents (:-)) and also seeing as the album was produced by Xenomania whose work includes Girls Aloud, a group whose music I'm not crazy about. Anyways, as he's usually got impeccable musical taste, I decided to give it a try.

Vocally, she falls somewhere in between Duffy and Amy Winehouse, though I find her voice tends to get a bit whiny at times. Still, she does sound soulful.

Opening is the upbeat pop/rock song "Save the lies" which is just ok (it wouldn't sound out of place on a Girls Aloud album) and I thought, uh oh! However, next comes the single "Sweet about me" which wouldn't sound too out of place on Duffy's album. It is a sixties sounding Motown-esque swinging pop song and it is rather nice. Continuing in that mould are "Sanctuary", the retro ballad "Einstein" (nice guitars), and the sixties stomp "Messy". On the upbeat side of things are "Got no place to go" and "Don't want to go to bed now" (which reminds me somewhat of Blondie's "Call me" but without the synthesizers.

Next come a spectacular pair of songs; the Blues-tinged string swept "Awkward game" (this song is brilliant, my favourite), and the tender piano ballad "Safer". Both are reason enough to get this album.

"Cigarettes and lies" is another swinging retro sounding number, "Terrifying" is upbeat Blues, while the ballad "Sit in the blues" is simply lovely. Closing is the bonus cut, "Echo beach", a remake of the Martha & the Muffins song, a bouncy romp with jangly Smiths-style guitars with Cilmi again channelling Blondie. Super!

A pleasant addition to any music collection. Thanks once again Kayode.

Don't you despise those reviews that criticize the customer service and/or ordering difficulties people submit with a 1 star rating when it really has nothing to do with the item itself?? This album is a new approach to a seemingly 60ish era beat. Gabriella Cilmi is combining her music and lyrics with a disco-pop beat that is catchy and refreshing. A little different from the ordinary bubble-gum pop music from a very talented teen from Down-Under.

Very good! Her music is catchy and a good mixture of sass and rhythm. If you feel like you want music that is different and is not the typical high screeching female artist, definitely check out her CD. There is a youtube video of poison ivy (from batman) combined with Gabriella Cimi's song, "Sweet About Me". It is the perfect combination of sexiness and bad girl attitude.

I was amazed with the ease of the ordering process. Also with the speed at which it was sent. The CD itself was well worth it, what a voice this kid has, I'm 47 years old and I listen to her everyday on my way to work.

I work in one of those Big Box stores where pop music is constantly playing in the background. I get a lot of new music that way by using my cell phone to ID the song and artist... when I have the time.

One day I heard the words "There's nothing sweet about me" in a nice melody but I was too busy to use the phone. I thought, "that sounds good, I'll google those lyrics later." Needless to say, at my advanced age I forgot about it and never got it done.

About a week later I heard "And I, I've got no place to go...etc" and this time I whipped out my phone and got it. Gabriella who? lol. I downloaded the song, read the other reviews and then got "Sweet About Me" and was pleasantly surprised to see it was the other song I had heard.

Another reviewer here said "Cilmi's spine-chilling voice reminds me of someone else's but up until now, I've not been able to put my finger on who that might be." It had the same effect on me but when I finally realized who her voice reminds me of it's definitely different from his conclusion. This girl has an amazingly quirky and soulful voice that is at it's best when she's not trying to climb mountains on the music scale and when she's not competing with the musical arrangement for attention. The best songs on this album that show this to be true, by far, are "Sweet About Me" and the soaring "Got No Place To Go." After listening to these two songs (and all the others) repeatedly for two days it finally dawned on me who she reminds me of... none other than Anastacia.

Yeah, I realize that's saying a lot but there it is. She obviously lacks the maturity of Anastacia but she is on the same track to get there. I challenge you to listen to "Save the Lies" and not see Anastacia in your mind's eye.

Of all the other tracks "Awkward Game" is the only other one that's interesting. It also showcases her voice and has an acceptable arrangement. All the rest of the available songs is only Growing Pains.

This is a major new talent and I'm glad I got to hear her sing. Here's hoping she continues to entertain us for years to come. Nicely done.

This young woman is a talent to be watched. The comparisons to the music of Amy Winehouse are deserved. Very similar indeed but without the maturity or the addictions. I can't wait to see what she will achieve with the maturity, I hope she avoids the addictions.

Great album!

I'll keep it simple and say that I was very impressed with her album. Yes, it's hard to match "Sweet On Me", but that song would be hard to match for any artist, and the album would just about be worth it for that song alone. I can say that I really like most of the album, with only about two songs that I'm not that excited about.

Overall, she's an amazing new talent and I'm very glad I ran across her music.