Customer Reviews

Secret Life

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

 

 

Marianne Faithfull is so different from most of the other female singers I listen to. She sings in a low growl, doesn't have much range, but can convey more emotion in her delivery than just about anyone. On "A Secret Life", she displays a more tender side to her voice which is complimented greatly by Angelo Badalamenti's lushly orchestrated compostions. Some may feel it's a bit too mellow, but it's every bit as emotional as anything else I've heard from her over the years. This is a woman who has been to Hell and back more than once and has the voice to prove it, but she never comes off as a victim. She has only been a victim of herself and she has pointed that out in many interviews. For me, the standout track is "She". It's haunting, almost show tune like melody coupled with her lyrics and delivery make for one of the most memorable and sad ballads ever to cross the path of my ears

Angelo Badalamenti is known for composing lush and haunting soundscapes that the Twin Peaks soundtrack and Julee Cruise emphasised so effectively in the past.Here his protege is none other than Ms.Faithfull,who gives his work yet another new direction.Combining bittersweet vocals with atmospheric and often gloomy tunes,Sleep,Flaming September,Losing and The Stars Line Up are chillingly beautiful. Marianne's torn voice tells us of despair and regret .The album's only sore point is The Wedding,which sounds rather irrelevant and out of place with the rest of the mood.On She,there's loneliness and self destruction while Bored By Dreams and Love In The Afternoon reconvey the gloom and sombre atmosphere. Overall if you're a fan of the whole Twin Peaks saga,then this album's a must.Just turn out the lights, pour a glass of wine and enjoy.

Marianne Faithfull is the goddess of dark music. With her distinctive voice and poetic lyrics, Marianne gives a voice to those who have been silenced. "A Secret Life" explores the dark side, like her 1979 magnum opus "Broken English," but not as in-your-face, and there's nary an expletive. The darkness of this disc is in Angelo Badalamenti's haunting, orchestral arrangements. "Sleep" will give you chills. "Flaming September" is powerful. "She" induces tears. "The Stars Line Up" and "Bored by Dreams" are my favorites. And the lyrics! A sample: "It is safe to walk with me/ Where you can read the sky and stars/Safe to walk upon the sea/In my sleep we can go far" (from "Sleep"). That's not just a song to listen to, that's a song to look at.

"A Secret Life" is a successful marriage of contrast: the lush and beautiful orchestral compositions of Angelo Badalamenti are interwoven with Faithfull's rough and raspy delivery. "Prologue" introduces the listener to Faithfull's not so secret life of alcohol and drugs. "Sleep" is foreboding - tales of loneliness and regret follow. The unfaithful wife makes "Love In The Afternoon" and depression is replaced by danger in "Losing." So filled with sorrow are "She," and "Losing" that they leave the listener with the pain of a knife being thrust into the heart.

Not all of "A Secret Life" is so dark. "Bored By Dreams" (with its pounding rhythms and staccato strings) is uplifting, and "The Stars Line Up" shows some hope for romantic companionship. The problem with Badalamenti's compositions is a lack of diversity: the music is too similar. The only attempt to liven the score fails miserably. The funky dance tempo of "The Wedding" has no place on this disc.

Faithfull deserves credit for risking a 180 degree about face after her last successful release. Get mellow, pour yourself a whiskey neat, and join Faithfull in her "Secret Life." You may just want to stay awhile.

A hazy room. Heads almost touching. Voices. Whispers. The shadows of your mind. Dark and mysterious songs similar to scenes from a 1940s film-noir movie. If film-noir movies were still being produced most of the songs from this album would be included in a soundtrack album.

Marianne (born "Marian Evelyn Faithfull") will mesmerize you with her gritty, alto voice which has a slight crackling rasp. After decades of drug and alcohol abuse, she has lost much vocal range but more than compensates with soulful emotion.

Most songs are introspective and some even gloomy but don't be afraid. Angelo Badalamenti produced, composed and orchestrated the album plus plays keyboards, and conducted various orchestras used on various tracks. Angelo is famous for a celestial, full orchestral sound and this is a great musical marriage. Previously, Angelo produced the soundtrack for Twin Peaks and some of the Julee Cruise albums. Angelo doesn't produce minor albums.

Besides the standard, guitar, bass and drums, Angelo adds various combinations of instruments to various tracks including French horn, clarinet, flute, oboe, mandolin, violin, viola, and cello. Some tracks are supported by almost a full orchestra including six violas and six cellos. But, he never overpowers Marianne.

Marian or Marianne as she now calls herself has been a musical chameleon since her early singles during 1965, such as Little Bird, Come and Stay With Me, and Summer Nights. So, don't expect this album to be similar to previous, nor her latest album similar to this.

As you may know, Marianne became a British pop sensation at age 17 during 1965 after attending a Rolling Stones record-launch party and meeting Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham. He immediately signed her as a client and even wrote some of her early hit songs.

She married artist John Dunbar during May 6, 1965 and during November 10, 1965 gave birth to their son Nicholas. Then she left her husband, became a Rolling Stones groupie and eventually Mick Jagger's girlfriend.

She told New Musical Express (NME) magazine: "My first move was to get a Rolling Stone as a boyfriend. I slept with three and decided the lead singer was the best bet." Obviously, they still love her. Easy Come, Easy Go, which was released in early 2009, was produced by Keith Richards and features Keith on guitar and Stones' drummer Charlie Watts on drums. She must have been fantastic in bed.

Unfortunately, she became a cocaine and heroin addict and during 1968 miscarried a daughter. We don't know if Mick was the father. She ended her relationship with Mick during May 1970 and lost custody of her son. Then she became a hard-core heroin addict.

She was born during December 29, 1946. Her father was a former British Army officer and university professor. Eva von Sacher-Masoch, her mother, was a Jew from Vienna, Austria descended from nobility. Marian's parents divorceed when she was six years old and she was raised by her mother. But, she was sent to to Saint John's Convent school as a charity-case boarder, which probably incited her rebellious teenage lifestyle.

This album reminds me a a dark Parisian or New York cafe with low ceiling and small stage. This is not dance or exercise music or even jazz but rather music for a sunset or late evening with a glass of wine or cognac.

There are many other excellent albums by Marianne. I recommend: A Collection of Her Best Songs, Blazing Away, Perfect Stranger, Kissin' Time and Easy Come, Easy Go.

Marianne has lived the high and low lives. Fortunately, she has survived and continues to perform. She is a real treasure. Her albums grow on you which is the mark of a great artist. She ends this album with an epilogue:

Our revels now are ended
These are actors, as I foretold you.
We're all spirits, and are melted into air
Into thin air.

And like the baseless fabric of this vision
The cloud capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces.
The solemn temples, the great globe itself.

Yes, all which it inherit shall dissolve.
And like this insubstantial pageant faded.
Leave not a rack behind.

We are such stuff, as dreams are made of.
And our little life is rounded.
With a sleep.

A little too mellow I must say. I liked 'She' a lot, and I loved the story plot behind the song. I liked 'Flaming September' as well, but the best song had to be 'Bored By Dreams'. This is an easy going album by rock's fairy tale princess, Marianne Faithfull. It's not bad at all, just very mellow.

True, the lyrics are sometimes depressing and this CD will not make you funny... so what? Nothing is more boring than everlasting happiness.

love this cd have many of hers and love them all! i think her voice is amazing! it gets much better with age! i totalally recommend this cd !

Length:: 1:30 Mins

'A secret life' is a spacial combination between lyrics and melody, the wonderful voice of marian faithful is moving and penetrating into the depths of the soul