Odette - Just Me
Find out more about Odette here
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It's just Odette. Sat Jan 16 13:50:21 2010
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| by Andrew Reilly | ||
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| reviews by this writer. | ||
The term overnight success tends to be used on any artist when they first break into the public’s frame of reference but it can often be a long road for the artist. This is definitely true for Odette. From Italian girl band pop to America, then MTV and then a business career, it’s been a varied few years for the singer.
There are a lot of anthems here and it is apparent that Odette knows her way around the chorus. For an artist so obviously touched by classic rock and some of the more popular bands of previous eras this shouldn’t come as a surprise.
With so many different styles of music on here, it does tend to feel like a compilation album at times. The production values and Odette’s vocals brings it all together, so it is not a disjointed effort but the pleasure you take from it will depend on what you are looking for from the album. It’s not a compact piece that will draw you in and keep you sheltered but it is a snappy record, flirting between sounds and tempos with ease. It’s a non-taxing album, one that can sit in the background or just when you need a lighter approach to life.
That is not to say this record is a piece of fluff, theres a lot to enjoy. The backing strings on ‘Do Da Dee Da’ thankfully add a touch of maturity and insight that the song title never could but it remains a refreshing pop song.
‘Weaker Side of Me’ is anything but weak, it’s a light and breezy pop track, again, showcasing the vocals to good effect and will have you nodding and bopping away.
The fact that there are a lot of different elements and styles on show will mean that it will very much come down to the listeners taste as to whether this album will work for them. Tellingly, there is nothing that should make any listener turn off, so the record is definitely worth a listen.
For an album called ‘Just Me’, it is fitting that the strongest part of the record is Odette herself and her strong vocals. No matter the song style, no matter the lyric, she is able to convey the personal emotion and power, when in lesser hands; it could all have become a bit generic. The fact that it rises above this should stand it apart from the scores of female artists we’ll get this year.
Unless the Japanese are able to mass produce robotic pop singers this year, we’ll likely still be hearing from female pop singers so you may as well listen to the decent ones. Odette fits in this category.
Track Listing
01 - Just Listen
02 - Here We Go
03 - My Friend
04 - Just A Kiss
05 - Break Your Heart
06 - Ride Your Bike
07 - We Will Find A Way
08 - Do Da De Daa
09 - For Me
10 - Breaking The Rules
11 - I Needed You
12 - Weaker Side Of Me
13 - Why Did I
14 - My Friend (Extended Version)
15 - Why Do You Hate Me