I Megaphone [Original recording reissued]

Imogen Heap

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 14, 2006)
• Original Release Date: June 16, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Almo Sounds
• ASIN: B000007Q91
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,993 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Charismatic and compelling singer-songwriter Imogen Heap--recently nominated for two Grammy awards--has gained the ear of America in recent years with her electro/alt songs on cult-fave movies and television shows as well as her 2005 sophomore album Speak for Yourself. Yet i Megaphone, her 1998 debut, has been out of print in the U.S. for seven years. Now, that album has received a much-deserved reissue. i Megaphone revisits the songs that marked Heap as the next great iconoclastic female artist, a lineage that includes Patti Smith, Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, Bjork, and Liz Phair. After her live debut performing between sets by the Who and Eric Clapton at the 1996 Prince's Trust Concert in London's Hyde Park, the classically trained Heap, from rural Essex, England, signed to Almo Sounds when she was just 17 years old. i Megaphone (an anagram for "Imogen Heap"), produced by David Kahne, Dave Stewart (of the Eurythmics), and Guy Sigsworth, and featuring the engaging singles "Come Here Boy," "Shine," and "Getting Scared," earned wide critical acclaim. Unfortunately, Almo Sounds, formed by A&M founders Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, was winding down and Heap soon found herself adrift. In 2002, she and Sigsworth released a duo album, Details, under the moniker Frou Frou and it too was critically acclaimed. The following year they covered the Bonnie Tyler classic "Holding Out for a Hero" for the Shrek 2 soundtrack. Though by then defunct, Frou Frou enjoyed an unexpected resurgence in popularity in 2004 when "Let Go" was featured in Garden State. Heap's second solo album, Speak for Yourself, emerged the following year. Its "Hide and Seek" was heard in the powerful closing scenes of the Season Two finale of The O.C. and sparked a frenzy. The series' third season ended with her haunting rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." "Hide and Seek" was also featured in the movie The Last Kiss, the reality series So You Think You Can Dance, and as the ending song in the premiere episode of this year's new drama Smith. In addition, she penned "Can't Take It In" for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. But it is because of i Megaphone that America first heard Imogen Heap.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Megaphone" is loud and clear, October 17, 2004

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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This is not the Imogen Heap of Frou Frou. This is Imogen Heap solo, in her enchanting debut "I Megaphone." So don't expect silky, slinky trip-hop -- Heap opts for a darker, more raw kind of music that reflects the pain in the songwriting. Sort of a Tori-Amos-meets-Fiona-Apple sound, but with a spirit all its own.

Trip-hop/piano opens the album in "Getting Scared," starting off soft and transforming into a rocker. There's a dark, intense edge to the music -- the sensuality and fire of "Come Here Boy," the rage in "Rake It In," and the snarl of "Angry Angel." While there are some softer-edged ballads, the sound is of a young woman with some emotional scars.

When you hear how polished "I Megaphone" sounds, it's surprising that Heap was only nineteen when it was made. The English musician (the title is an anagram of her name) takes a different musical road from 95% of the pop singers out there, opting for passion and enigma, mixed in with some strong vocals and a unique blend of pop, rock and electronica.

The music is a pleasant blend of the organic piano, and the gentle trip-hop beats. Several songs are piano-based, with classically trained Heap playing her own piano melodies in songs like "Candlelight," or the percussion-piano blend of "Shine." Other songs are more based in electronic beats, but don't lose that grounded edge.

Heap's voice was a bit "young" here, though very close to maturity. It's an unusual voice for pop music, husky and quite sultry in the sexier tracks, but capable of lashing out in songs like "Getting Scared." That fire also keeps her from seeming too woe-is-poor-li'l-me. "Shine - I will not cry and I will be mine/I'll shine - shine," she tells us, right before talking about how "madness moved into my shadow." And let's not forget the angrier bits: "Who's getting scared now/Tell me, tell me how does it feel/It feels so good from where I'm standing!" she lets rip.

Imogen Heap's debut album has hints of Fiona Apple and Tori Amos, but "I Megaphone" is its own kind of music. Raw, sensual and thoroughly beautiful, this is a lost gem.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fiona Apple + Tori Amos + Alanis Morissette = Imogen Heap, April 26, 2001

By	Cabir Davis - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I found this at a used record store in New Orleans and picked it up solely due to the reviews I had read here earlier. Considering how difficult it is to obtain a copy of this CD these days (its now officially out-of-print), I was truly thrilled and couldn't wait to hear Imogen's music. Usually, when I listen to a musician's music based on their reviews at Amazon, I tend to be disappointed - both Fisher and Julia Darling have disappointed me as they seem like Lilith Fair rejects, yet they were given undue praise.

Imogen, on the other hand, deserves all the praise she can get. This girl has now formed a band called Frou Frou, but her one and only solo album stands out as one of the forgotten gems of the last decade - a combination of Fiona Apple's 'When the Pawn' and Tori Amos's 'From the Choirgirl Hotel' is what it most closely resembles. Also, I was glad to note that for ONCE there was a performer who could deservedly be compared to Tori and Fiona, and most remarkably, even sound like them on different tracks.

The first song that I listened to was Track 2 - 'Sweet Religion'. The opening vocals are very Apple-esque, and the production is very reminiscent of Fiona's first producer Andrew Slater's style. This track deals with one of my favorite themes - organized religion and its futility, and if you're even mildly religiously inclined you may be put off by Imogen's lyrics. While Fiona and Tori play to the woe-is-me crowd, Imogen strikes out at society and the establishment, and is a more pertinent role model for wannabe rebels, in my opinion.

The best track here is undoubtedly the first one - 'Getting Scared'. This multi-layered eclectic combination of electronica and rock works wonderfully, and is bettered only by Imogen's thoughtful lyrics and quaint British accent. 'Getting Scared' is also my favorite because it starts out relatively sombre and plink-plonks its way through the first few minutes, and then launches into a semi-death metal groove that is really frightening. This is an amazing track.

The other stand-outs are of course 'Sweet Religion', 'Oh me Oh my', and the stunning 'Come Here Boy', which is so rich in its' lush production and vocal delivery that its quite overwhelming to sit through it. The first time I heard it in the car I was blown away - the chorus comes with a sound effect that is so subtle, but one that envelops you and makes you shiver in your car. 'Come here Boy' is THE song to play when driving in the rain. Get this album if only for that pleasure.

This is one of my all-time favorite albums - right up there with Fiona Apple's 'When the Pawn' and Bjork's 'Post. Stunning, creatively dazzling. Heres hoping Imogen someday comes back to make a second album.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful stuff, May 21, 2003

By	Alicia "bluesweater" (Valrico, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This album really took me by surprise. I had just come off a Frou Frou marathon -- had been listening to "Details" exclusively for about a week -- when I found out Imogene Heap had a solo album, so I went ahead and found a copy and bought it. This is totally different from Frou Frou, but really good in a completely different way. It's very raw and dark and angry. This lady has a powerful voice and is using it to its full advantage on this CD. Personal favorites are Sweet Religion, Angry Angel, and Come Here Boy. There's lots of just really primal noises and general emoting in almost all of these songs, just kind of nonverbal stuff, but very powerful. I was very impressed and recommend this to Alanis, Tori Amos, and Fiona Apple fans. Imogene Heap isn't really like any of those artits, but if you're into dark, angry chicks with something to say, this CD is definitely for you. Give it a couple listens to grow on you, and you won't be disappointed.