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Ci sono artisti che avrebbero tutte le carte in regola (talento, voce e, perchè no, anche immagine) per far colpo sul grande pubblico e stazionare perennemente nei piani alti delle classifiche di vendita o radiofoniche, ma che per inspiegabili (!?) motivi devono accontentarsi di rimanere un po' più di nicchia, godendosi ogni tanto qualche sporadico successo commerciale e gli immacabili e meritati plausi della critica. L'ex Moloko Róisín Murphy sembrerebbe destinata a far parte di questa, non troppo ristretta, cerchia, sebbene il suo recente contratto con la EMI lascerebbe presagire che, forse, tra le sue future intenzioni ci sia quella di dare al suo nome un rilevanza maggiore all'interno del music-business. Presagio confermato anche dalla direzione stilistica presa per il suo ultimo lavoro, non certo agli antipodi rispetto al sound dei Moloko ma decisamente più immediata e radiofonica.
Overpowered è il suo secondo album solista e pur non essendo all'altezza del precedente Ruby Blue (particolarissimo e bellissimo album electro-swing realizzato a quattro mani col geniale produttore/musicista Mattew Herbert) è comunque un gran bel sentire, che meriterebbe di fare sfracelli nelle classifiche europee e non solo.
La cupa e ipnotica title-track (a metà tra i Depeche Mode e l'ultima Madonna, uno dei migliori singoli pubblicati quest'anno) è in realtà un po' ingannevole, chi si aspetta un ennesimo album completamente dance con bassi sincopati e "pompati" potrebbe rimanere deluso o sollevato (a seconda dei gusti ovviamente); qui si è cercato invece di creare una mediazione, una fusione tra la dance europea più leggera e scheletrica (tra i tanti co-produttori e co-autori del disco ci sono membri dei Groove Armada e All Seing I, distanti dalla cosiddetta scena french house) e l'attuale r'n'b americano.
Le undici tracce dell'album (più le due bonus tracks) scorrono piacevolmente ed equamente divise tra dance (fin troppo "frizzantina" in Let Me Know, per intenderci à la Kylie Minogue) che ricorda i primi anni '90 (You Know Me Better e Parallel Lives sembrano figlie dei primissimi singoli di Seal con Adamski), l'electroclash degli ultimi Goldfrapp (tra le cose più incisive... nemmeno lei ha resistito a clonare I Feel Love di Summer/Moroder nella sua Cry Baby) e diversi momenti morbidi di martice urban-soul che suonano esattamente come se Lisa Stansfield venisse prodotta da Timbaland; due di questi, Checkin' On Me e Primitive sono tra i momenti migliori e più ammalianti del disco. A ben sentire solo un brano poteva essere risparimiato, quella Footprints che potrebbe sembrare opera della Furtado meno riuscita (quella dell'ultimo singolo). A tutto questo aggiungete la solita voce supersexy da sballo ormonale, un'innegabile carisma interpretativo e quell'attitudine "indie-friendly" che, a differenza delle tante colleghe sopracitate, la rendono decisamente più simpatica alle orecchie, e alla penna, di critici e appassionati.
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
01 Overpowered (05:08)
When I think that I'm over you
I'm overpowered
Your data my data
The chromosomes match
Exact as in matter
A matter of fact
These amaranth feelings
A cognitive state
Need the love object
To reciprocate
When I think that I'm over you
I'm overpowered
It's long overdue
I'm overpowered
When I think that I'm over you
I'm overpowered
It's long overdue
I'm overpowered
As science struggles on to try to explain
Oxy-toxin's flowing ever into my brain
As science struggles on to try to explain
Oxy-toxin's flowing ever into my brain
A chemical reason
If reason's your game
A chemical needing
Is there in the brain
With preprogrammed meanings
Like a little more pep
Alien feelings
We have to accept
When I think that I'm over you
I'm overpowered
It's long overdue
I'm overpowered
When I think that I'm over you
I'm overpowered
It's long overdue
I'm overpowered
As science struggles on to try to explain
Oxy-toxin's flowing ever into my brain
As science struggles on to try to explain
Oxy-toxin's flowing ever into my brain
I'm overpowered
03 Checkin' on Me (04:39)
It's your uneasy mind
That's been making you blind
I won't lie to you
You've got trouble inside
Baby, I've nothing to hide
I've been good to you
All the way from New York City
Calling me constantly
He's asking if I'm sitting pretty
Waiting patiently
Darling, I would not forsake me
I'm telling you honestly, yeah yeah
What do you think you're gonna find
Checkin' up on me?
Baby, you've got a troubled mind
It's time to set me free
What do you think you're gonna find
Checkin' up on me?
Baby, you've got a troubled mind
How can you judge
If I don't miss you enough?
Any fool can see
If you can't trust yourself
Can't trust nobody else
Did you lie to me?
Yeah, did you lie to me?
Even when we are together
Still the jealousy
You know, I just wanna dance forever
And you wanna take that from me
Suppose you really think you're clever
Stealing my liberty, yeah, yeah
What do you think you're gonna find
Checkin' up on me?
Baby, you've got a troubled mind
It's time to set me free
What do you think you're gonna find
Checkin' up on me?
Baby, you've got a troubled mind
I got much to think about
Looking into you
I need to know when you're going out
And all the things you do
You may not be guilty by default
And have the nerve to question me
When it's you who could get caught
What do you think I'm gonna find
When I'm checkin' up on you?
Maybe you've got something to hide
Though I think I always knew
What do you think I'm gonna find
When I'm checkin' up on you?
Maybe you've got something to hide
Though I think I always knew
What do you think you're gonna find
Checkin' up on me?
Baby, you've got a troubled mind
It's time to set me free
What do you think you're gonna find
Checkin' up on me?
Baby, you've got a troubled mind
What do you think you're gonna find
Checkin' up on me?
Baby, you've got a troubled mind
It's time to set me free
What do you think you're gonna find
Checkin' up on me?
Baby, you've got a troubled mind
What do you think you're gonna find
Checkin' up on me?
Baby, you've got a troubled mind
It's time to set me free
What do you think you're gonna find
Checkin' up on me?
Baby, you've got a troubled mind
04 Let Me Know (05:09)
I turn the other way
I'll never turn you down
You turn me on
Don't speak out every meaning
I don't belong to you
You don't belong to me
So don't hold on too tightly...
Let me know when you're lonely babe
Let me know when you're lonely babe
Happier now than I've been in the past
Gone are the days
Gone are the tears
That was a girl I used to be
The girl that you now see standing in front of you
Could keep going on
Because she believes
In setting you free
So let me know when you're lonely babe
Let me know when you're lonely baby
Let me know when you're lonely babe
Let me know when you're lonely baby
I turn the other way
I can never turn you down
You turn me on
Don't speak out every meaning
I don't belong to you
Like you don't belong to me
So don't hold on too tightly
Let forever be
So let me know when you're lonely babe
Let me know when you're lonely baby
Let me know when you're lonely babe
Let me know when you're lonely baby
Let me know when you're lonely babe (it might be sweet)
Let me know when you're lonely baby (if we could meet)
Let me know when you're lonely babe (along the way)
Let me know when you're lonely baby (that could be okay)
They're all the same in this cynical age
I won't be
Your ball and chain
I risk my reputation
Just to get a room
You always have the reservation
So come lie down beside me (so let me know when you're lonely babe)
(Let me know when you're lonely baby) Beside me
(Let me know when you're lonely babe) Beside me
(Let me know when you're lonely baby) Beside me
So let me know when you're lonely babe (it might be sweet)
Let me know when you're lonely baby (if we could meet)
Let me know when you're lonely babe (along the way)
Let me know when you're lonely baby (that could be okay)
That could be okay
It might be sweet
If we could meet
Along the way
That could be okay
05 Movie Star (04:01)
I'm a trusting soul not ashamed of living dangerously
And I'm a headstrong girl, I'm afraid I won't be told
I feel my destiny is only 'round the corner
Sugar daddy promised me I'll be sitting on top of the world
He saw my naked ambitions said I would leave them wanting more
That could be crazy wishing we could ever have it all
Have it all, have it all
We'll make a movie, we'll break into cinema
You'll be director and I'll be your movie star
We'll make a movie, the darlings of cinema
You'll be director and I'll be your movie star
So he's a headstrong guy and perhaps I shouldn't listen
There's a million girls wanna be in my position
If he tells me lies I'll suspend my disbelieving
I leave it all behind, I ain't asking for permission
Feels like a new beginning and there's so much to explore
It's not so crazy thinking we could really have it all
Have it all, have it all
We'll make a movie, we'll break into cinema
You'll be director and I'll be your movie star
We'll make a movie, the darlings of cinema
You'll be director and I'll be your movie star
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Altre recensioni
Di genji
Un album complesso, in cui la voce di Roisin Murphy dissolve i limiti che distinguono i diversi generi.
Un vero gioiellino di pop elettronico in cui si mescolano tendenze dance e soul.
