Mind How You Go

Skye | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 22, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Cordless Recordings
• ASIN: B000GGSMJ4
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,787 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Skye Edwards, former vocalist for trip-hop act Morcheeba, has a voice as smooth as silk. In fact, it's as relaxing as a heavy sedative. This suited her just fine in the sexy, druggy, and futuristic realms of her old band. And for the most part, it works to swell effect on her solo debut as well. The songs themselves are not the focus, which is fine enough given lyrics such as "So love's a stain on a shirt like old red wine." Mind How You Go seems to have been written by a committee going for a younger Starbucks demographic, or perhaps the older people who like The Matrix a lot. Recorded with Daniel Lanois and Pat Leonard, the songs are slickly produced pop that tries to balance the line between adult alternative and jazzy electronics. The real star here is Skye's distinctive, awesome voice--a cool and mesmerizing instrument, both strong and subtle at the same time. One hopes that it's even more the focal point on her next outing, or at the very least that she finds beats somewhere which don't sound so lifted from a perfume commercial. --Mike McGonigal

Product Description

Former Morcheeba singer's first solo album featuring production by Pat Leonard (Pink Floyd, Madonna) and Daniel Lanois (U2). There is much that is familiar on "Mind How You Go" - the connection to Morcheeba, the beguiling quality of Skye's voice, the potent melodies that bury themselves deep inside your brain, the cool elegance of her delivery. It's a sublime collection of vivid songs that present Skye in an entirely new light.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Close your eyes and relax..., August 22, 2006

By 

Sakis (San Diego, originally Greece) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mind How You Go (Audio CD)

Ahh, finally Skye's debut made it stateside, but i should warn you all, this is not a Morcheeba record. No reggae, trip hop funky sounds are to be found here.
The sweet velvety voiced singer gets to showcase her own talents in her mature debut and she's got quite a few gems up her sleeve with her own soothing chill out melodies and personal songwritting.
Love show opens the album with a very radio friendly hook and with some of the most romantic lyrics i heard in a while "sit down, give me your hand, i'm gonna tell you the future, i see you, living happily with somebody who really suits ya, someone like me", perfect love confession i might say. This is my top favorite track of the album (I hope it gets released as a single).
"Stop Complaining" is an insomniac's confession with a bit of a country music echo, I like this one alot too. "Solitary" is a melancholy piece with lots of tension, followed by "Calling" which has some acoustic guitars and really sweet lyrics "love is calling, open up, and let life shine, i'm calling", she's crooning sensual seductive and comforting.
"What's Wrong With Me" is the first single of the album, it's gotten quite alot of airplay on some local radio stations here in Boston, it is another confessional & mellow track where Skye expresses her worries, trying not to think of lots of upsetting things, basically daily live's annoyances and the situations that surround us (regulations, rain, empires and stupid fools, voice mails, emails, TV, the future), she's asking herself "What's wrong with me"? I'd say a more proper question would be "what's wrong with the world".
"No Other" is a hazy track that i really didn't get into too much, but "Tell me about your day" is another excellent track, the writting is excellent and so is her singing once again. She's talking about New Orleans in St. Patrick's day, describing the scenery while she's talking to someone far away asking them to tell her about their day. This could make an excellent single, the Electronic Valve instrument along with the violin sounds bring a uniquely sweet sentimentality to the track.
"All the promises" is a break up song, dramatic but quite dark, followed by "Powerful" which is another radio friendly track with more epic violin sounds in the background with more of a mainstream soft rock sound to it, and a bit reminiscent of her Morcheeba songs (Charango era time).
"Say Amen" is another dark and hushed track with a bit of hushed jungle undercurrents towards the end, again not a track i'm too fond of in the CD, but the last song "Jamaica Days" is simply divine. An acappella track that trully makes you travel along with its mesmerizing melody, a great finish to a great solo debut.
Skye is not breaking new ground with these songs, but it's a great start and a bit of a departure from what we were used to hear her sing with Morcheeba. I love her voice, i liked the arrangements and i really enjoy listening to her solo debut's confessional songs.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars powerful., August 23, 2006

By 

Yiannis Psaroudis "divastation.com" (soho, ny) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mind How You Go (Audio CD)

Though I've never heard a Morcheeba song, I thought I'd give their former vocalist's solo album a try. I'd heard rumours that fans of the group were less than pleased with the band's choice of replacement and was dying to know why. Though Skye's voice does not have the power of a Patti Labelle or the unmistakable tone of a Gwen Stefani, it does possess an unique calming effect, reminiscent of similar British artists ( Des'ree, Tracey Thorn) and "soft pop" vocalists from the 1970s Southern California scene (Brenda Russell, Carole King). Drawing from a wide array of influences, _Mind How You Go_ will appeal to fans as varied as those of Sade, Portishead, Dido, Sheryl Crow and Esthero, but lacking the name recognition enjoyed by any of those artists, it's likely Skye will be overlooked by brand-driven American audiences.

The album, itself, is both contemplative and ethereal. Lyrics full of insight, wit and emotion ("I try not to think about my TV and BBC and MTV/I try not to think about the rain") sail over melodies that feel lush, even in their simplicity. Skye's music is a secret garden...no, a secret sofa where listeners can curl up and hide from an unrelenting world, only to emerge refreshed, invigorated and ready to conquer.

The songs call to mind rain-soaked cab rides after midnight, the lights of the city transforming into jewels in the raindrops on the windows; sparsely populated revival houses showing black-and-white movies; assuming a new (or perhaps reclaiming your true) identity, while on holiday abroad; moving away from home and realizing, for the first time, that you're on your own and anything is possible. From the moment I pressed "play", I was flooded with memories of days from my own youth, walking the misty streets of San Francisco with the collar of my pea coat turned up against the weather, lamenting the conclusion of a romance. What kind of power must music possess, what kind of talent must a songwriter exhibit to evoke memories, the creation of which for which it was not present?

In short, every year, I try to produce a compilation for my less musically avid friends, which I call _The Best You Never Heard_. Though it will be difficult picking just one song from _Mind How You Go_, I am certain that Skye will be among the artists selected for inclusion.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brand new singer, March 7, 2006

By 

celso cardoso (Florianopolis, Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mind How You Go (Audio CD)

The best thing in this record, despite her fabulous velvet voice, is that we descovered a brand new work. Skye does not try to emulate the sound of morcheeba, creating a soundscape of her own, making new fans over the world and keeping the old ones. The lyrics are great, the arrangements are simple but efficient and her voice is better than ever. I liked "the antidote", but now is clear that she needed to follow her own steps, in a different way, discovering her own path. A must-have to all morcheeba fans and to the people who didn't know her yet...