Customer Reviews

Slow Motion Addict

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

 

 

Slow Motion Addict, Carina Round's third album and second for Interscope, was my introduction to this great voice. Carina has a talent for writing catchy yet dark pop songs that stick in your head for days, as is evidenced with this album.
The album starts off with a bang on "Stolen Cars" one of the albums best songs. It features an insanely catchy chorus showcases Carina's use of hard/soft dynamics. This song is followed by the still upbeat "How Many Times" which is another great song. After that is "Gravity Lies" and "Ready to Confess" which still keep the energy up. While "Gravity" one the best songs lyrically here goes back to the loud/soft dynamic, "Ready to Confess" is just an all out rocker. This followed by one of my favorites, "I Want More" it is a fun, well written song. It begins with one of the best lines on the album:"It's not me/I'm representing someone who died during the conversation" The vocals are very emotional here.
Track #6 is an album highlight. "Take the Money" is a sarcastic examination of the music industry and selling out. A very catchy, clever , well written song.
After this the album slows down a little. "Down Slow" is a good enough song but doesn't stick out like all the other songs. However, it is followed by the remarkable "Come to You" Carina's voice on the choruses just soars, and the multi tracking on the verses just makes for a beautiful song. A real pleasure to listen to. The title track is next, and is another great song,well sung, eventually fading into two minutes plus of lovely guitar drone. Instrumentally, this song is one of the more impressive here.
"January Heart" is a gorgeous slow ballad, followed by another,"The Disconnection", which was the title of her second album. The strings on this track make it stand out, but it is overshadowed by the two tracks surrounding it. Closing everything out is the masterful, slowly building "The City" which culminates in Multi-tracking of Carina's voice singing us out. It's a beautiful sound.
Overall, this album puts other female singer-songwriters and singer-songwriters in general to shame. Carina's voice is a thing of beauty that deserves to be heard by all. Normally I don't like when the faster and slower material is separated so clearly as it is on this album but in this case it works well. I would highly recommend this to pop music fans, singer-songwriter fans, or just fans of good music in general. No doubt will rate as one of 2007's best albums.

If I could rate this album more than 5 stars, I would. Carina is one of the most talented artists around today. If you haven't already, check out her other albums, The Disconnection and First Blood Mystery. The Disconnection in particular is unbelievable. I didn't think she would be able to top it, but when I put in this new album, I was once again totally blown away. I can not say enough about how spectacular this album, and Carina Round, is. Buy it!

I had a chance to see Carina Round live as she opened for Annie Lennox in Nashville, TN October 2007. She was wonderful, a great talent and appeared to have a very down to earth personality. She was both talented in voice and personality. Her voice, lyrics and music are all so original. I was so impressed I ordered "The First Blood Mystery" from the UK Amazon site since I couldn't find it in US and her album "The Disconnection". I am eagerly awaiting for more of her album releases. It bothers me that more people don't know of Carina Round, so I've taken it upon myself to spread the word. I'd love a chance to see her live again.

I don't really feel up to writing a whole review right now, but just wanted to share something that I just recently discovered.

There is a hidden track on this CD. It is placed before track 1, Stolen Car. You must hit your rewind button to get to it. It didn't work for me by simply hitting the 'back' button, as in, one track back. I had to use the slower, manual 'rewind the track seconds at at time' button.

Apparently, Carina didn't want the track on the album, but the record company did. This was the compromise. Upon first listen, I'm not crazy about it, but there are others who really seem to like it so maybe it will grow on me.

About the album as a whole.. my quick take: more slickly produced than 'The Disconnection'. That might appeal to some. On the other hand, I think Carina has sacrificed a bit of her quirky charm to go for this more mainstream sound or style. It's not a huge departure from the previous work or anything alarming, but it's there. That's fine. I don't expect every album to be the same, but it's worth mentioning here.

After liking it more initially, I've found that the albums appeal has diminished for me somewhat as time has gone by. Worth picking up, no doubt, if you're a fan. But if you are considering a first purchase of Carina Round album, determine if you're more apt to go for a slicker sound or for the more idiosyncratic sound. This early vs. later album question, not unlike what occurred with Liz Phair and Veruca Salt. Both had more of a unique but less assessable sound on their first albums. Then later opted to go for the smoother, more easily digestible sound/style. If you find yourself more of a fan of those two artists first albums vs. their subsequent, then go for 'The Disconnection' first. If you prefer the latter, you might prefer 'Slow Motion Addict'.

I only bought this one for a penny. This album was as atroious as my spelling.