“I detect a lack of energy” This is sub-par to Finally Woken but still a very decent effort. There’s nothing extremely catchy here like “They” or “Wish I” and Jem sounds downright sleepy at times. I was hoping this would sparkle as much as her previous gem but maybe the next time she’ll master it again.
|
|||||
|
this album is a masterpiece  I admit I’m a Jem fan. I listen to “24″ all the time from her 1st album, have the CD in my car, and first found out about her by e-mailing into NPR when I heard “Save Me” on my drive. My other favorite new album is by Los Campesinos, which coincidentally is also Welsh. I know Jem has her limitations but so did Astrud Gilberto but she was still the best. This is like that. She is daring to try so many styles and no matter how 2nd rate pieces of it might seem, it takes a lot of courage to make an album like this and she is magnificent. Finally, somebody makes music to lift people up besides Seal…. Four year wait, for this? Good album but… “Becoming a bitch is not what I got into music for” And there you go…another vote for Earth. I think the only thing we’re all going to agree on is that Jem has much talent she has yet to explore. I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next, and I hope it doesn’t take four more years to find out. … |
|||||
5 Comments until now
I want you to know me
One of my biggest problems with Jem’s debut album “Finally Woken” was that too many of the songs sounded alike. They were very pretty songs, but still too alike.
Fortunately that problem is nicely remedied in the songs of “Down to Earth,” the more colourful and textured sophomore album. Without losing her signature sound, the Welsh pop singer splatters her upbeat pop tunes and occasional plaintive ballads with a wide range of instrumentation and some sharper beats. It’s a more mature, rounded album and it unfolds with only a few musical hiccups.
It opens with a heartbeat, a rippling piano, and a breath of wind, before fading out… only to be replaced by a solid, uptempo pop melody. The song itself is far less sunny — “So capable of love yet/too scared to open up… creating problems daily/no wonder some go crazy/so special and so gifted/most don’t know his stare…” Jem sings sadly over the sharp beats and buttery pop melodies. “I don’t think you see/your destiny/and it makes me sad…”
She opts for a deliciously funky tone in the sharp-edged “Crazy,” and then does a total about-face for the sensual, Latin-flavoured dancefest of “I Want You To” (“Moving forward and arching backward/that hot look in your eye….”). Though Jem never goes as far stylistically as in those first few songs, she mixes it up pretty well — delicate piano ballads, straightforward pop tune, jazzy little tunes, wonky experimental fuzz-acid-dance, a breathless pop-rocker, and finishing up with the breezy, sunny “On Top of the World.”
Perhaps the best representation of “Down To Earth” is the twinkly hand-clapping “I Always Knew,” a sprightly little pop tune about “making to the top” and how “if I got to toughen up that is what I’ll do.” Compared to her rougher, less mature debut album, Jem’s latest work is much fuller and more mature, and she takes some bold forays into heretofore unexplored territory with new confidence — although she stumbles in the painfully awkward “Got it Good” (“Whatever color, race or creed/come on and hold my hand/cause I don’t differentiate”).
Part of “Down To Earth’s” polish comes from the smooth instrumentation. Most of the album is a smooth, glossy interweaving of jazzy piano, violins, a folky guitar, ethereal music-box tinkles, and gentle sweeps of mellow synth winding around the more organic instrumentation. That could have been very monotonous, but Jem dodges the bullet by draping her melodies with some amazing flourishes — M.I.A.-style electronica, wah-wah guitars, wind chimes, wobbling distortion, handclaps. “Keep On Walking” even ends with a gospel-style choir.
And Jem’s husky, flexible voice runs through the center of each song, singing of struggles in the music biz, lost loved ones (“You will make it through/I promise you/she would want you to”), faithless lovers, idealistic dream-pursuit, and even a song from the POV of a extraterrestrial observer. Her songwriting is perhaps the weakest point — they’re not bad, but they’re not excellent either (“And you’ll see/cause if it’s meant to be/nothing can compare to deserving your dreams… it’s amazing/makes my heart sing…”).
Jem’s second album hits some lyrical speedbumps, but “Down To Earth” successfully polishes up her mellow pop tunes even as it adds new life and colour to them. Definitely a worthwhile little pop album.
Well worth the four year wait
I always wondered if Jem was going to ever release a follow up to FINALLY AWOKEN. I am glad that she answered my question with DOWN TO EARTH. I have been a fan of her music since FINALLY AWOKEN and DOWN TO EARTH made the four year wait well worth it. DOWN TO EARTH is so much more diverse and interesting than Dido’s latest album which I found to be rather dreary and monotonous. While the album isn’t completely flawless, I found DOWN TO EARTH had a lot more substance than with SAFE TRIP TO HOME. The music remains the same (in a good way) with its mix of pop, folk, and trip hop beats. The songs that really stood out with me are the ballads. I really loved the piano ballad “Keep on Walking”. My other favorite song is “Got it Good”. I loved the melodies and the lyrics. The melodies reminds me of Pachelbel’s “Canon”, very vaguely. My least favorite song on the album has to be “Aciid!”. I didn’t care for the lyrics or beats.I will give Jem credit for branching out musically but the song didn’t work for me. Overall I enjoyed DOWN TO EARTH and still do.
You can be happy, but you must believe it (3.5)
Coming off her incredible debut, Finally Woken, Jem looks to continue her streak of easily accessible yet always interesting songs with Down to Earth. Does she succeed?
Eh. Yes and no.
I like Jem, don’t get me wrong. But I think it’s obvious she doesn’t have very impressive vocal range. However, there are oodles of singers out there who have NO range yet somehow put out songs that sound different and, maybe, sometimes, fresh. Jem has the fresh part down pat, clearly, but different? Not so much. The beats are very different from track to track but her vocals always remain the same.
Despite her vocal limitations, Jem manages to provide us with some instantly great tracks, mainly in the form of the title track, Down to Earth, and I Always Knew. Both songs are vintage Jem, reminding you immediately of why you listen to her. Down to Earth features the best lyrics of the CD painting an eerily exact portrait of life and people today. I Always Knew, on the other hand, is the tried and true “even though I’m successful now I won’t change” type of song. While these usually turn my stomach at the mere thought of them, Jem goes about it in a way that isn’t preachy.
Other noteworthy tracks include Keep On Walking, You Will Make It, Got It Good, and How Would You Like It.
The one major plus about Down to Earth is that its a CD you can listen to in its entirety whether you like all the songs or not. So I can sit here and talk all the trash I could possibly dream up (most of which would be untrue since I do enjoy this CD) but I will always give that fact to her because that almost never happens. For better or worse, Down to Earth meets expectations, nothing more. You most likely won’t have your mind blown but you will definitely enjoy yourself.
She did it again.
If I only read about who she collaborated with and didn’t listen to this I would have assumed that these modern flash in the pans would have sapped her soul away like they did with Nelly Furtado. But there are once again some real gems here and like the previous album they are usually not the lead single (They). My favorite song on here is “I Want You To…” and when I heard the silly Spanish dialogue at the begining I thought it was going to be corny like that stupid Shakira song with the rapper on it (Hips Don’t Lie)or La Isla Bonita… but she makes it work and once again sounds great. Her voice is completely alluring and mesmerizing. The comparisons to Dido are kind of misleading because Dido kind of sucks. Jem does not. I hope that LA doesn’t ruin her- she is too good to be affiliated with One Tree Hill or Sex and the City. She is special and very much underrated. Down to Earth starts the album off in a cool way. You assume it will be about her way and it turns out to be kind of sci-fi. I Always Knew sounds like it could have been on Finally Woken and fit in nicely. Bottom line- most new albums are NOT worth buying or taking up space in your apartment. This is. One of maybe 3 cd’s this year. This album, That Lucky Old Sun by Brian Wilson and Pacific Ocean Blue by Dennis Wilson. Look no further than these 3. She doesn’t have the depth or lyrics of the Wilson collaborations but she is a lot of fun to listen to.
sophomore slump?
hmm. what happened? as i think thru what could have gone wrong, and listen over and over, i’m thinking it’s the production. jem’s voice is solid, and at the core, it seems like the songwriting is on par with finally woken. it seems like the production is non-existant. there’s just nothing there. her last album had exceptional details all the way thru, and here, really nothing. i’m sorry to say that with the exception of a few songs. this record is dangerously near easy listening. i’m hoping it’s a record she needs to make in order to get back to business. listen carefully before buying.
Add your Comment!