Customer Reviews

The Matrix

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

 

 

The Matrix have gone sparse lately but they sure were dominant during the Bush II years. These songs are, reportedly, tunes they saved for themselves and they are good ones. I'm not sure why the album was pulled back in 2004 but I bet there were very many law firms somehow involved. Too bad.

Most of the tunes feature the trademark Matrix production style, with buzz-saw guitars and lots of major chords. The tune Live Before I Die channels Lennon in the vocal but has some very nice Harrison-like harmonies (diminished and augmented chords). It demonstrates good songwriting growth.

My favorite cuts are Would You Care? (where Katy Perry speaks of herself in the 3rd person) and Take a Walk, both of which should/could have been huge hits. In any event, I wouldn't be surprised to see many of the tunes show up ultimately on American Idol.

I did not know what to expect when I ordered this album, but it was a very pleasant surprise,

Not one bad track on there in my opinion, and this is despite the fact that Miss Perry does not feature on every track.

It's a must have for the devoted Katycat, and stands up in it's own right as a fine collection of tracks, both in terms of writing and more so the vocal performances, especially Katy Perry's, whose distinctive vocals shine through.

There are many highlights on the album, I think Damn is probably my favourite on there, but Broken, You miss me, Take a walk, Just a song, Would you care, and Stay with me are all fabulous pop tunes, but with a little bit extra than your usual pop fayre.

Enjoy!

Name a breakthrough pop star and there's usually an album they made before they became famous that will come back to haunt them (cough, ahem, Adam Lambert). For David Cook and Brooke White - those albums were good (I'd even argue, better) than their polished debuts. Unlike Lambert, who recorded demos for an aspiring wannabe, Katy Perry sings here with some of the best in the business. Why these producers call themselves something Google-unfriendly like The Matrix is beyond me - granted Pharrell didn't exactly crap out a rainbow when he came up with the N.E.R.D. producing moniker.

When Katy played Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles a few years ago, the place was packed with label suits and interns who were buzzing about this soon-to-be-released album. And then - nothing. When Katy became an international pop star off a few novelty songs, I thought this album would join Fiona Apple's Jon Biron album; Susanna Hoffs' third solo album and Prince & The Revolution's Roadhouse Garden among the great, unreleased gems. Color me surprised when it was selling for peanuts on Amazon.com. I waited a few weeks too long and it was soon out of print. Snap up the used ones while you can. Or buy it digitally - the CD art looks like it was printed using a decade old inkjet printer.

If you like Katy Perry, it won't disappoint. "Damn" should have been a #1 club banger. "Stay With Me" is a great radio ballad. The other vocalist, Adam Lowlands has decent pipes like a lost cousin of Timberlake, Lambert and/or Adam Levine. The rest of the songs are nice, meaty pop songs - perfect for people who love The Matrix's work with Christina, Britney and Avril but don't want to wade through other songs by Dianne Warren, Linda Perry and Kara DioGuardi to find them.

Focus more on the people behind the songs, thus the name of the production team and the album. The Matrix. Katy's put to good use and she showed back in 2004 that she's got chops, but the musical gifts the writers share is what personally drew me to this album, and it's worth it. Although if you only want to try out one song, go for "Would You Care". I'll be damned if anyone can find me a more melodically wonderful pop song. My favourite song of 2009 unfortunately squandered the rest of the album's play-time on my iPod until recently. But the whole album is classy and should have been #1. I just wish Katy would put Would You Care on her next album. It's terrific.