Customer Reviews

I Tried to Rock You But You Only Roll

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have become totally addicted to this CD since I bought it 2 weeks ago. Not since Heather Nova's "Siren" have I heard a female vocalist whose voice is so engaging. Leona Naess's vocals on this CD are incredible. I bought this CD before I bought her first release "Comatised". While I like "Comatised" also, I like "I Tried To Rock You..." much more. Leona's vocals are more prominent on this album, and I find the songs themselves more "catchy", if you will. There is not a song on the album that I do not like. Great hooks with amazing vocals have had me listening to this disc daily for the last two weeks, not tiring of it yet. I'm seeing her in concert in 10 days & can not wait. Highly recommended if you like Heather Nova or Natalie Imbruglia.

After hearing Charm Attack just over a year ago, I managed to get hold of Leona Naess' first album in a second-hand store and was slightly disappointed. Whilst it had a few great cuts - Earthquake, Chase, Anything - it felt a bit rushed, but showed a lot of potential. On her second album, Naess has produced the kind of album that most female singer/songwriters can only dream of: heartfelt, intelligent, fragile vocals and catchy. Marking a vast change from Comatised in a lot of ways, this album applies a drum loop and electronic beats to a lot of songs, whilst also retreating to the softer love songs familiar to the first album.

Perhaps most important is the fact that there isn't one duff track on here. Each one is good in its own right, although Boys Like You (a clever hark back to The Cure's classic), the title track, All The Stars and Hurricane stand out. Of course, the question becomes why isn't Leona Naess more popular than she already is? An artist of this quality usually receives their fair share of hype, but Leona has received comparitively little. Whilst it's easy to compare her to other female chanteuses out there she's more upbeat and less poetic than Sarah McLachlan. And she's certainly a lot better than a great deal of the Lilith group following in Sarah's wake. For one, she's cleverer. She knows her relationships inside out and she isn't afraid to wear her heart on her sleeve but, unlike Alanis Morissette per say, she doesn't seem so jaded about love that she can't sing soft tracks that carry you along with her, such as Mexico or Serenade. If comparing Leona to anyone it would probably be as a cross between Amanda Ghost (who also employs dance beats) and Nerina Pallot (vocally they're very similar), which is a high compliment indeed.

In short, this is a brilliant album, and well worth buying even if you were disappointed by Comatised. From reviews of her third album though, Leona shouldn't need much help getting the hype she deserves sometime soon.

I have been a fan of hers since her debut a few yrs ago..Her 1st album was beautiful..The only gripe i had with it was possibly the lack of flow with the album..it went from slow song to fast song to slow again and so on and so on..
This album is quite a jump forward..She mixes 80's music sounding like Blondie with britpop sounding, hand clapping pop and the result is simply beautiful..Her lyrics are simple but poignant..Alot of songs about love and lost love..but the real star of the show is Leona's voice..it's very versatile..
I'm so impressed by this album..the whole album is just AWESOME..every song..
My favourite so far is Track 11 "Serenade"..The music sounds like something right out of the 50's movie High Society..The whole album reminds me of something i'd want to listen to if i were on a beautful tropical vacation and laying on the beach..Not the beach in an MTV Springbreak kind of way, but in a sitting alone on a secluded beach sipping pina coladas kind of way..

Let's hope radio finally gives female artists a break and starts playing someone other than Michelle Branch..

Something about Leona Naess's music grabbed hold of me and won't let go. This was as good or better than her most recent effort; she makes it seem effortless to create such memorable music; breezy, ingenuous pop at its best. Especial favorites are "Hurricane," "All The Stars," "I Tried to Rock You," "Sunny Sunday," "Mayor of Your Town." An instant classic. Needless to say, wish I'd given this five stars instead of four. That happens to me a lot ...

Why "I Tried..." is the best CD of 2001 I could find:

A: Naess's voice. She has a certain realistic quality to her-you can believe her when she sings "Mexico" in her certain, soft quality. No, she won't blast your eardrums, even if you turn the volume to airplane-noise level, but that's a good thing-her voice is undeniably pretty and genuine, unlike the teen pop singers who keep her from getting on the radio.

B: The quality of her sound. Let's throw in the Human League reference-heck, maybe Stevie Nicks's "Edge of Seventeen" when we describe Leona's '80s imitations, which, since these are the, um, oughts(?), sounds new again (see Strokes, The). "Mayor of Your Town" is perhaps the coolest song of the year, with weird twinkling sound effects and the quicker pace of the song. "I Tried to Rock You But You Only Roll" (that's the song, not the whole album) is a catchy song with an easy-to-sing-to refrain (I had it the first time listening to the song!).

OK, those are only two reasons, but still-these are pretty powerful reasons, and I have to give Leona quite a chunk of praise-she has released the most refreshing album of the year.

I guess it's quite obvious that I'm a big TRUE fan of Leona Naess. Her follow-up to 'Comatised' is absolutely wonderful! She has a way with these lingering, lyrical rhymes which blend so perfectly into the backing soundscapes. Her voice continues to have a tremendous affect on me, on this well produced second album. I can keep this album on continuous/random play all day, but I think the best/best standouts are "Mexico", "Sunny Sunday", "Weak Strong Heart", "Blue Eyed Baby", "Panic Stricken", "Serenade", "Promise To Try," and the title track. When I first heard "Mexico", I had to pull out my own guitar and jam along. It's a nice up-tempo song that gives you that instant sunny breezy quaint feeling. After hearing Leona's live version of "Sunny Sunday," this song has been constantly stuck in my head. It's a great finger-picking strum song with neat synth effects and a calm vocoder. If you listen very closely, 2:40 to 2:52 is such a wonderful moment in this song. I love how her vocals enter back into this transition, as the sound moves around. Now, that's good production! I couldn't believe what I was hearing, when I got to "Weak Strong Heart". It's such a great song, complete with racing strings, slight DnB beat patterns, a little record scratching, and sudden shifts in pace. It's like a 70s-80s-90s moment all rolled into one. I definitely understand what Leona means when she sings, 'It's so hard to find you in this cold world / designed to bleed you grieve you'. The inside CD lyric flap for this song even appears on a night shot of NYC, with blurred imagery of the Twin Towers, something chilling in and of itself. I guess that lyric line above really does hold truth. "Blue Eyed Baby" could be described as the best of the best of a College Rock-like song. The folksy layered acoustic vibe on "Panic-Stricken" is very enveloping. I cherish that electric guitar interlude at 3:15, followed by the swaying dub harmonica, which also adds to this meaningful tune. I sometimes think of the sea or some kind of journey with purpose, when I hear "Serenade", which grooves with self-revelation and backing strings. This song definitely offers a 'decade shift'. The best part of "Promise To Try" is near the end when Leona sings: 'The world is much better with you in it / World's much better with us in it'. I think the whole song builds up towards this section, where the true beauty is released. It's a good love contemplation song.

I got to see her do a solo acoustic performance, in Atlanta, where I was able to talk with her. Then that following night, I had the pleasure of seeing her with her band. This woman ROCKS! On this new album and in her live shows, Leona Naess reveals even more how engaging and personal her music can be for listeners. She always leaves me with visions of inspiration and creativity. Support her!

Please come back to Atlanta Leona!!!!!!!

There is a new "school' of female singer/songwriters out there today, lead (in measures of success) by Jewel, Sheryl Crow and even Shelby Lynne. However, there are many others, lesser known but in many respects more engaging, including Miranda Lee Richards, Nikka Costa, Shea Seger and yes, Leona Naess.

On "I Tried to Rock You But You Only Roll" (is it just me, but I find that a rather annoying and akward title for the album), Leona shows us how much she has matured since her debut album "Comatised". The opening track "Mexico" (not to be confused with the James Taylor song of the same name) sets the tone for the entire album: a mid-tempo song about asking a former lover to come along to Mexico ("We can laugh about the love we used to know.... I Should Hate You But I Don't, You Should Love Me But You Wont"). "All The Stars" reminded me of some old Donna Summer tune. The title track is a smart pop song, a couda-shoulda-been radio hit. Other standouts are "Blue Eyed Baby" and the very strong "Panic-Stricken".

Leona Naess's second album is full of quality songs. With the teen pop craze finally starting to fizzle out, maybe radio will find room for albums such as this. For those of you already familiar with Leona, you will not be disappointed!

Much like R.E.M.'s "Murmur" or U2's "The Joshua Tree", this second offering from Leona Naess is one of those rare albums that is simply perfect from start to finish. There is not one "throwaway" song of the bunch. More importantly, Naess is gifted with the ability to play songs that don't sound like one another - each track is unique, terribly infectious and filled with a palpable vibrancy far removed from most popular music today. From introspective tracks like "Sunny Sunday" to the pulsating beats of "All The Stars," I guarantee that you will find at least one song on this album that you won't be able to live without. Amazing.

Naess knows what it takes to get on the radio, and these songs are just about as catchy as any in Pop. Hook after hook grabs you, especially in the first half of the album, and the hit title song is a genuine jewel. There is a strange combination of innocence and mature insouciance in her voice which propel the songs. After a while you may get fed up with the thin drum sounds and Naess's occasional problems with phrasing (fitting her syllables to the music), but I doubt you will find any catchier songs this year.

The new leona album definately jams...takes you on a natural high...great tunes...from the beginning beats of "mexico" you feel fresh for a sunny road trip...another total lazy days album where you just want to bask in the sun with friends...though heartache does fill most of the songs...her soothing voice leaves you warm inside...like the wet drops of a summer rain. Possibly better than her first.