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Billie Myers, un'altra meteora discografica degli anni '90, quella decade che prometteva la rinascita del rock (come se fosse un bene a prescindere) a discapito del pop patinato degli '80 e che invece non ha fatto altro che creare nuovi stereotipi commerciali, un'altro talento immolato sull'altare del business discografico alla faccia del talento e della meritocrazia, a cui nel mio piccolo intendo rendere omaggio ed approfondire per quello che merita.
Probabilmente il mancato successo duraturo di questa bravissima cantante ed autrice si può individuare in una banale e squallida questione di target: di madre inglese e padre giamaicano, Billie Myers nel suo primo album "Growing, Pains" unisce una strumentazione prettamente rock, quasi unicamente basata su chitarre sia acustiche che elettriche con una stupenda vocalità soul, potente ma al tempo stesso gentile, soffice, delicata e si presenta con un'immagine semplice e pulita, con l'umiltà di chi viene dalla gavetta nei locali e non da qualche stupida girl-band. Il buon (per modo di dire) Desmond Child, produttore di "Growing, Pains" l'aveva capito: questa ragazza andava bene per una hit, ma per i soldi veri la sincerità e la pulizia non pagano, bisognava puntare sull'ostentazione, sull'arroganza, sulla sensualità sbattuta in faccia da peggior bar di Caracas, quindi sulle varie Beyonce, Anastacia, Alicia Keys che da lì a pochi anni avrebbero invaso hit parades e copertine patinate.
Tornando a noi, il debutto di Billie Myers è un album ottimamente curato nella produzione e negli arrangiamenti, in chiave prettamente rock-soul inframezzata da qualche episodio acustico, una sola concessione all'elettronica, nessuna all'hip-hop. La potenza vocale e la classe della cantante anglo-caraibica interpreta in maniera assolutamente perfetta, con la giusta intensità e il giusto senso della misura e dello stile ballads di gran classe e trasporto come la hit "Kiss The Rain", "A Few Words To Many", la più tormentata "Please Don't Shout", una bellissima e liberatoria "You Send Me Flying" e la soffice e consolatoria "Opposites Attact", mentre episodi come "The Shark And The Mermaid" e "Much Change Too Soon" dimostrano una spiccata sensibilità folk, con un tocco di gospel in "Mother, Daughter, Sister, Lover", inno ad una femminilità sincera ed autentica. "Having Trouble With The Language", che ironizza sulle disavventure sentimentali del presidente Clinton e tutta la relativa ipocrisia rappresenta il lato più orientato sul pop rock più "bianco" del disco insieme a "First Time", una canzone che, soprattutto nel ritornello, mette in mostra uno stile radiofonico, spigliato ed orecchiabile che verrà a più riprese riproposto con successo da P!nk, mentre "Tell Me" gioca con l'elettronica, con accenni di world music arabeggiante creando un midtempo rock intenso, suggestivo e sensuale.
Pur essendo un prodotto perfettamente in linea con i canoni radiofonici, "Growing, Pains" è un album di grande carattere e grande qualità, che dimostra che un pop diverso è possibile, ma purtroppo non potrà mai essere predominante nel mondo dell'immagine e del guadagno; molti artisti, anche di talento, hanno scelto di scendere a compromessi con questo, Billie Myers, così come i Fastball in un altro ambito musicale no, con le sue scelte di vita, la sua sincerità, il suo rifiuto a piegarsi a bieche logiche commerciali che l'ha portata ad una dimensione di totale invisibilità mediatica ha dimostrato di essere una testa pensante, una persona vera, una Donna vera, e non un burattino, e questo è ancora più importante dell'essere una onesta e talentuosa cantautrice con una bellissima voce, e per questo merita rispetto ed ammirazione a prescindere, a, perchè no, anche un ascolto senza snobismi e preconcetti.
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01 Kiss the Rain (04:30)
Hello
Can you hear me?
Am I gettin' through to you?
Hello
Is it late there?
There's a laughter on the line
Are you sure you're there alone?
'Cause I'm
Trying to explain
Something's wrong
You just don't sound the same
Why don't you
Why don't you
Go outside
Go outside
Kiss the rain
Whenever you need me
Kiss the rain
Whenever I'm gone, too long.
If your lips
Feel lonely and thirsty
Kiss the rain
And wait for the dawn.
Keep in mind
We're under the same sky
And the nights
as empty for me, as for you
If you feel
You can't wait till morning
Kiss the rain
Kiss the rain
Kiss the rain
Hello
Do you miss me?
I hear you say you do
But not the way I'm missing you
What's new?
How's the weather?
Is it stormy where you are?
You sound so close but it feels
like you're so far
Oh would it mean anything
If you knew
What I'm left imagining
In my mind
In my mind
Would you go
Would you go
Kiss the rain
And you'd fall over me
Think of me
Think of me
Think of me
Only me
Kiss the rain
Whenever you need me
Kiss the rain
Whenever I'm gone too long
If your lips
Feel lonely and tempted
Kiss the rain
and wait for the dawn
Keep in mind
We're under the same sky
And the nights
As empty for me, as for you
If you feel
You can't wait till morning
Kiss the rain
Kiss the rain
Kiss the rain
Kiss the rain
Kiss the rain
Oooooohhhhh
Kiss the rain
Oooooohhhhh
Kiss the rain
Hello
Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?
04 You Send Me Flying (03:56)
I don't want to make a habbit of this
But seeing you is like getting a fix
Everytime I kid myself
"I'll never do it again"
Defenition of love on a cliff
A lemming has no alternative
I wanna die in your arms
That's my suicide wish
It's only 13 hours
Till I leave the ground
And I may never come down again
So will you meet me there
On a ride somewhere?
Just turn left at the sun before it sets
Let's go naked
Would you dare?
You
You send me flying
You send me flying
You send me flying
You're knocking me over
You
You send me flying
You send me flying
You send me flying
Flying
Over the moon for joy
I don't wanna make a fool of myself
'Specially since you're with somoeone else
Outwardly demure
I would die for you
You'll forgive my inclination to tell
I threw my wishes down your wishing well
I want you know
In a non too subtle way
You want me too?
So will you meet me there
On a ride somewhere?
Just turn right at the moon before it moves
Let's go naked
Would you dare?
You
You send me flying
You send me flying
You send me flying
You're knocking me over
You
You send me flying
You send me flying
You send me flying
Flying
Over the moon for joy
You send me flying
You send me flying
You send me flying
You
You send me flying
You send me flying
You send me flying
You're knocking me over
You
You send me flying
You send me flying
You send me flying
Flying
Over the moon for joy
Definition of love on a cliff
A lemming has no alternative
I wanna die in your arms
That's my suicide wish
08 The Shark and the Mermaid (03:49)
Without a moment's hesitation
They threw caution to the wind
He thought
iShe must be blind not see/i
He was no prince charming
No beauty
She held flowers at her finger tips
And honey fell from her lips
He dived into the ocean's water
She swam with the morning mist
He said
If it's mine
It will be always yours
Cast away any doubt
And open up those doors
It was the Shark and the Mermaid
Making love again
It was the Shark and the Mermaid
Falling in love again
It was the Shark and the Mermaid
Proving everybody wrong
It was the Shark and the Mermaid
Swimming by again
But as they grew in mind and body
And the days turned into years
He thought
iOne day she might go away/i
But her love overshadowed his fears
Under the liquid sky where they lived
They were legends to behold
Fate distracted by their simple charms
Left them there to love alone
Now the angels wait patiently
For the shadows down below
They stop and smile because
It's just the Shark and the Mermaid
Making love again
Just the Shark and the Mermaid
Falling in love again
It's just the Shark and the Mermaid
Proving everybody wrong
It's just the Shark and the Mermaid
And the Mermaid
And the Mermaid
And the Mermaid
Nobody though that their love would last
Everybody looked
And everybody laughed
But the Mermaid and the Shark
They just slipped away
Nothing stopped them
Noone got in the way
Standing together as lovers and friends
They stayed together
Their love knew no ends
Proving everybody wrong
They grew together
They were strong
Everybody was wrong
About the
About the Shark and the Mermaid
Making love again
The Shark and the Mermaid
Falling in love again
Shark and the Mermaid
Together till the end
It was the Shark and the Mermaid
And the Mermaid
And the Mermaid making love
It was the Shark and the Mermaid making love
Making love
Making love
Making love
Making love
10 Opposites Attract (03:37)
I've watched the morning undress you
So many times but I still catch my every breath
It hasn't always been easy
So many changes
But time washes over us
No you don't blame me for all that I'm not
For all that I am you say is so much more than good enough
Who said that opposites don't attract
If you say this then I'll always say that
Who said that opposites don't attract
If black is white, and white is black
Then it's the fact we're both different
That makes us the same
That makes us the same
Friends say that we've got nothing in common
In different shoes but it's the same ground we're walking on
Everything that is different is still,
{Still talking under siege}, but that won't pull us apart
You say you love me for all that I'm not
And I still love you for all that you are
Who says that opposites don't attract
If you say this then I'll always say that
Who says that opposites don't attract
If black is white, and white is black
Then it's the fact we're both different
That makes us the same
But we always
Find ourselves
In the middle
Oh I don't blame you for all that you're not
For all that you are is so much more than good enough
Who said that opposites don't attract
If you say this then I'll always say that
Who said that opposites don't attract
You and me, me and you
Yeah, it's the fact that we're different
Yeah, it's the fact that we're different
That makes us the same
I'll never ask you to change
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