Although the musical problems are mostly confined to the second half of the album, lyrical problems exist throughout. One of the most noticable differences between Miss Jones and Miss Melua is that Miss Jones has better lyricists writing material for her. Most of the songs here have lyrics that are trite, overly-cliched, or awkward. Take, for instance, a couple of lines from "Crawling Up A Hill":
So I stop one day to figure it out/I'll quit my job without a shadow of a doubt/To sing the blues that I know about
or
So here I am in London town/A better scene I'm gonna be around/The kind of music that won't bring me down
A better scene I'm gonna be around? To quote my roommate, "Well, this is awkward." It's a credit to Miss Melua that she can smooth over these gangly lyrics and almost make them work in the song.
So, with the understanding that there are no eternal truths to be gleaned from listening to the lyrics on this album, I'd still recommend it. As some of the other Blogcritics have noted, it's a very produced, very safe album, and these factors no doubt explain its enormous popularity in Britain. Buying and listening to this album isn't so much finding a diamond in the rough as it is finding a diamond that's been placed into an ill-conceived setting. Should a better setting be found for Miss Melua's second effort, then we should anticipate experiencing this diamond in all her brilliance.
Bobby Allison-Gallimore writes on culture and politics at The Rattler.
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