Customer Reviews

Timbre (Bonus CD)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It was a smart move for Hawkins to take 1999's "Timbre" back from her record company and re-release it this year on her own label. Maybe now it will get the exposure it deserves. Hawkins has always been more than 1992's hit "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" and through the course of her three studio cds she has grown as a singer/songwriter. On "Timbre" she delves into self analysis on songs like "The Darkest Childe", "I Walk Alone" and "Walking In My Blue Jeans". Unlike her contemporaries (Alanis Morissette, Jewel, Joan Osborne, Ani Difranco, Tori Amos, etc.) Hawkins infuses her observations with some upbeat melodies like "Mmm My Best Friend", "No Connection", "32 Lines" and "Lose Your Way". Although I liked 1994's "Whaler" slightly better than "Timbre", the re-release comes with a bonus disc of two new demo songs "You Turn Me On" and "Travelling Light" plus the demo of "No Connection" and a remix of "Walking In My Blue Jeans" and two different versions of "Lose Your Way" which make this purchase more enticing. I think Sophie's music deserves more attention and respect, but then again, I like having artists like her out there--someone who makes great music and doesn't get overplayed (with the exception of "As I Lay Me Down", but I could listen to that a billion times and never get tired of hearing it.) If you haven't heard Sophie in a while, pick up a copy of "Timbre".

In case you live in a sound vacuum, here is the basic history of this work. Ms. Hawkins has fought Sony over this album during and after production. Like others who have fought the industry to maintain their integrity and the integrity of the work, it has been a long hard battle. But, the fans of Ms. Hawkins formed a "Cracker Army" and came to her aid. This record was released on Sony without changes to "increase sales." Yet, Sony may have had the last word by a lack of promotion for the cd etc. Would this stop, her?? No way. Ms. Hawkins arms are NOT to short to box with the self-made Gods of Sonyland! She has released the cd on her own label, with help from Rykodisc, and has added an enhance disc to boot. The original cd on Sony was a five star cd and so is this one. I am not sure if the enhance cd adds anything except to her fans, like me, who are happy to get any music/video from her. Even her demos are great. I recommend buying this CD whether you have the other, anyway, if only to support her efforts to create art on the artist's terms! And if you don't have this CD...you are missing a work of great music, and lyrics which are not of the pablum we get in most of today's work. Original and thought provoking.

This was another awesome album by Sophie B. Hawkins. She is a dynamic artist -- many artists put out one album after another and generally follow the same sound. Sophie manages to change and evolve, yet stay Sophie.

Now that Sophie B Hawkins has gained freedom to be on her own,Miss Hawkins is finally doing it her way!This new version of her last record for Sony sounds much more true and personal.The song Strange Thing has been changed to Walking in my Blue Jeans and now works as a female anthem. The added material gives the cd a rich,full overview of Sophie's immense talent as singer,musician,and truth-teller. This is not just a repeat of her previous Timbre. This is how Timbre was really meant to be-raw Sophie B Hawkins.

Being 4th on my list of "favorite Sophie B Hawkins albums" doesn't mean it's bad at all, it just means she puts out such good stuff that even this four-star release can't be at the top. I put Timbre after Tongues & Tails, Whaler, and Bad Kitty Live, but ahead of Wilderness. Timbre has more edge to it than either Whaler or Wilderness, and a lot of the "Sophie attitude" mixed in with her emotionally-charge lyrics and vocals. My favorite tracks include Walking In My Blue Jeans, The Darkest Childe, and Lose Your Way.

The rerelease of Timbre reminded me of how great an album it is. To be honest it's been a while since I listened to my old copy of Timbre from 1999. It really is a shame that it didn't get more exposure than it did. There are plenty of songs here that are catchy enough to be radio singles and the rest are all memorable but in more poetic and thoughtful ways.

My favorite songs are hard to choose, but if I had to they would be No Connection, The Darkest Childe, I Walk Alone, Help Me Breathe and Lose Your Way. Each song has a core of such raw emotion that it really is astouning and Hawkins is incredibly adept at displaying them.

The "presents" come in the form of the 2nd bonus disc that is included with this release. It includes 2 new demos of the songs "You Turn Me On" and "Travelling Light", demos of "I Walk Alone" and "No Connection," and remixes of "Walking In My Blue Jeans" (formerly Strange Thing) and "Lose Your Way". The new songs are great, especially "Travelling Light" and the demo versions of the songs on the main disc are must-haves. There is an extra-something to those demo versions that didn't quite translate to the final versions that lifts the already great songs to new heights.

Parents should note that the "Explicit Lyrics" warning is in effect. It's not like Sophie's swearing every other word but some of the songs are very sexually explicit. That being said, it's not gratuitous in any way. We're talking an artistic Michaelangelo sort of sexuality versus something like Hustler here.

A must have for those who enjoy thoughtful and poetic music that still packs a memorable punch.

After "Whaler" I thought it would be hardly possible for her to get much better. But she did it. Though I have an earlier issue of "Timbre" (w/o the bonus disc), I just have to say some words.

Timbre is a journey through different seasons. It begins with 4 summer-like songs (Walking in my blue jeans (and there is NO other summer song suitable for car ridings on lost and lonesome highways), No Connection, 32 Lines (a masterpiece showing her arrangment skills) and Mmm my best friend). And I think that the first one, Walking in my blue jeans, is in fact the best song I know. And I know many.

Sophie is such a gifted writer/producer/instrumentalist that I can only wonder. And be a bit unhappy, because such brilliant gems like in this album will NEVER be as successful as they deserve. Her arrangements are not only loveley, but carefully designed, filled not with chords or layers but with thousands of small melodies that make the songs glitter. Of course, this kind of very complex, almost sophi-sticated music does not fit into every listeners ear (and that's too bad).

After the four summer songs fall is coming, leading us with harmonic and temptive melodies directly into cold winter (Your tongue like the sun in my mouth, Help me breathe). And after all a glimpse of springs light, brought to us by "The one you have not seen".

The incredible good performances of her and the band (brilliant: Paul Bushnell and his bass), and the difficult but very well done mixing and mastering complete the image I have:

Sophie at the top of her game.

This is possibly the most overlooked CD of the past few years. I bought it on a trip to NYC when I remembered how much I loved 'As I lay me down'(on 'Whaler') as a kid. Since then, I have been hooked on this exceptional and refreshingly original artist (I have even travelled to the US just to see her live!).

The CD lives up to its title and is a perfect blend of different musical styles. This lady is not afraid to take risks, in the name of her integrity and musical vision, and this album clearly demonstrates that fact. I would buy the CD for 'Bare the weight of me' alone.
These songs are not as digestable as the previous those on the two albums, which is probably why it didn't sell as well but it is definitley, by far, the best album that I own.
Ian

Some artists still don't know what music is, maybe because they never had any dictionary at home. Sophie is not part of them. With "Timbre", her third album, she once again dives into unknown territories by adding violins and cello in almost half of the songs. Songs like "32 lines", "Your Tongue ...", "No connection" are extremely beautiful, no words can express how delicate and well-written, from the first note to the last, these songs are. "The Darkest Child" is more pop, violent and a bit aggressive, a must-have in this album which is torn between calmness and rawness, fragility and sensuality, innocence and guilt. The last title "The one ..." leaves you speechless, the end coming to a climax very few artists have managed to achieve. The storm before the lull. She's making MUSIC guys, so instead of buying the same stuff like Britney or Mariah Carey, try this.

First things first: this is a reissue of Sophie's 1999 offering, which was released on Columbia. Unfortunately, as has been the case since Tommy Mottola took over Sony Music, Columbia has not given its best artists their proper backing. So when Sophie and Columbia got into a battle over the use of a banjo on "Lose Your Way", the writing was on the wall. The album was left out to dry, and Sophie even had to pay for a good bit of the advertising, which had to be a bit embarrassing. Flash forward to 2001, and Sophie starts up her own label, Trumpet Swan, with Rykodisc handling the distribution. Timbre is rereleased, with a bonus disc(if there ever was one) included, as a way of thanking her most loyal fans---and giving her videos a way to be seen other than on MTV or VH-1, which never show videos that much anymore, regardless.

Now about the music: it's gorgeous. This is Sophie the songwriter at her very best, incorporating the finest elements of singer/songwriter pop from the last thirty years. The unsung gem has to be "Nocturne", for it's subtle synth reps towards the end, with "The Darkest Childe" getting honorable mention for its raw lyrical edge(though I think the "Explicit Lyrics" warning is totally unwarranted and silly at best) and inventive use of percussion loops.

Sophie produced this album(and played most of the instruments) almost entirely by herself(Peter Asher, of James Taylor/Linda Ronstadt fame, handles the exec duties), with an assist from Kevin Killen on the soundboard. Also worth mentioning is that "Lose Your Way", easily the most accessible of all the tracks, was culled for the soundtracks of Dawson's Creek and(in the remix originally favored by Columbia) Bounce. The later version is availble as well on the bonus disc, which also contains a Quicktime version of the video for "No Connection", which in itself is reason enough to buy this album all over again. It was shot by Gigi Gaston, the director of The Cream Will Rise(the doucumentary about Sophie's life and music), and done quite inexpensively. Nonetheless, it's breathtaking in it's photography, and Sophie has never been more beautiful than in this video. The video for "The One You Have Not Seen" is included, but is somewhat artificial compared to "No Connection", yet is still very nice. Lastly, a promo for the aforementioned documentary---to be released in both DVD and VHS February 26th---is on the bonus disc.

All in all, quite an impressive gift for both the casual listener and Sophie's very devoted Cracker Army!!!