Produced by Basia Trzetrzelewska and Danny White
First I should preface this by saying I have never written a CD review. Second I should bring about how this CD came into my lap. A friend of mine (Brian King) purchased it while on an outing to the record store. It was purchased with the glee of coincidentally sharing the same name with Basia (Irland) an eco artist (who focuses on water) who I personally worked with two years ago. Whether this CD will be anything like the experience with Basia I can not say. Let us begin:
Promises:
Aptly titled, promises ( as in I stupidly promised to write this CD review) opens by saying "we forgot all our promises and only keep some of the easiest; I confess I do" seems to readily taunt me to give up now. I don't have to keep ridiculous promises like reviewing this CD especially because its not easy. Well I say screw the very blatant message to stop, I'm doing this anyway!!!!
Run for Cover:
Instrumental hoo hahs are accompanied by a jungle beat and electric xylophones. I am being told cliches about the sky falling and that playing with fire will indeed get me burned. All of this is similar to feeling like a small child being dragged through a shopping mall full of bombastic advertisements, dressing room montages, and a confused creeper at the lost and found.
Tide and Time:
The album title song opens with an enthusiastic piano and synth accompaniment. The song itself seems to be an uplifting tale of a woman waiting for someone's love and being passionately excited about the whole idea. I have to say... really??? I maybe knocking down on some seriously delectable sap (sax solo outro included) but the mediocre message leaves me with a hollow doubt. This could have been the title song for the movie time travelers wife for all I know.
Freeze Thaw:
Incredibly 80's sound scape of digital instruments. For a brief second I am entertained by the idea I am playing an arcade game of some sorts and then Basia's sultry voice enters. This song seems to be an immediate nose dive from the previous songs optimistic idea of waiting to very much contemplating dumping said individual.
From Now On:
Seems to be an epilogue to the past two songs where Basia finally comes to term with the love interest not being in her life anymore. The sax and maracas make another appearance. This is about where I begin to feel sympathy for Basia as the realization of lost love finally sets in but the up-tempo positivity is still limping along although severely bruised. The repeating of the line with a slight accent "I don't mine" x16 twice doesn't satisfy my feeling that she is "doing ok". There is a sense of enduring something a long the lines of a car parked on your foot.
New Day For You:
Imagine a young fresh faced entrepreneur starting in sales. She's chipper, intelligent, and ready to take on the world. Well... there's a catch. She misread the market and didn't make strong headway. The startup cost alone were hard to swallow and she finds herself in desperate need of cash. She decides to reapply for her old job (which she quit to start her own business). She haphazardly writes a resume and attaches a cover letter that is full of buzz words and sympathetic sentences about how she use to work there. The employer falls into a confused stupor. THIS IS A METAPHOR FOR NEW DAY FOR YOU
Prime Time TV:
So far this is the only song I like on the album. Basia speaks very plainly of the cliches, corniness, and power of television. Lots of funky horns open with bongos and there is a reference to cecil b. demille?? I guess not hearing a song about love affairs really got me tickled. Nice Job Basia!
Asturd:
Doing a little research on Basia as I'm listening to this album, I'm fascinated that a polish pop songwriter would have a focus in synth latin jazz and be popular in the US, UK, and Japan. The international soup reaches its peak on this track with references to samba and Copacabana(Brazil). I find my mind lingering to the idea of culture, language, genre, and nationality breaking down into indescribable pieces. There are times where her accent breaks through as obvious and other times where it seems like stylized way of speaking.
How Dare You:
Angsty Jazz about being objectified and mistreated. NEXT.
Miles Away:
Is the last track and ends in the cheery way the CD began. We are offered the opportunity to escape with Basia to "a little house in a valley" Although the music has me convinced that I am really about to escape to an island oasis. Just as Basia has to come to fame with this first album she seems to be considering escaping stardom by the last track.
Overall the CD is very mediocre and the lyrics are uninspired. There wasn't an intention of writing a cynical review so anyone who sees this as such can rest assured I have nothing against Basia. There is a campy, 80's shopping mall appeal to the music but I listen to this album feeling hollow. Maybe Basia is telling me there is a void I need to fill inside of me. Maybe.
