The new Emilia De Poret album, so far released only in Spain, is distinctly international. Big electronic beats hook up with rnb melodies that recall current American styling’s most famously created by Timberland and Ryan Tedder. Despite being Swedish, De Poret provides an album that would sit well with Leona’s now epic Bleeding Love, literally anything by the aforementioned Tedder and Rihanna’s Umbrella. A large chunk of the album was written by Birgisson (Pussycat Dolls Don’t Cha, Shayne Wards If That’s Ok), Kotecha (Shayne Wards If That’s Ok), Bagge (Madonna’s Get Together) and there’s also an amazing Guy Chambers track that’s worth the price of the album alone.
Pick Me Up: This is Apologize merged with Bleeding Love. Emilia announces herself with this modern rnb ballad that was a major success in Spain. The chorus is huge and the violins are a nice touch. Video
On Fire: Emilia confesses her life has become so stressful that she’s forgot to apply her make-up. This is thus substantive evidence that she must be in love. Indeed, her heart is on fire. Ouch. This track is nothing more than an upbeat version of Pick Me Up with the nice addiction of guitars.
This Ain’t A love Song: Emilia’s voice sounds like Cyndi Lauper on this big pop ditty. Despite the title, the lyrics suggest it is very much a song about love. By track three, Emilia ventures away from obvious Tedderisms and provides soundscapes that are more Swedish than American in nature. There are more electronic beats here and there. If you like Jasmine Baird you’ll love this and Poret’s second album.
Now Or Never: I love dark and epic power ballads. This could be the evil twin of Bleeding Love. Many will already have heard this before as Out From Under by Shelly Peiken, Britney Spears and Joanna Pacitti (Joanna’s version is amazing). Emilia completely re-writes the song and essentially creates a new song.
Fighting For You: Special effects such as vocoders are things that pop lovers like myself can never have enough. Actually Fighting For You could easily be the song radio stations end up playing to death. Wouldn’t be surprised to find that Leona Lewis record a version of this somewhere down the line.
I Can: Emilia’s stronger points seem to be when she ups the tempo and I Can attests to this point. In fact, the first few songs on the album are a bit sluggish at first. Not to suggest that they’re bad but the album certainly starts to heat-up after Fighting For You. While very much a member of that pop sound that merges r ‘n’ b and electro, I Can includes more of the later with the key additions of glorious synths and subtle 80’s rifts. All of which makes I Can addictive. Love it also for the two lines “Me without your touch is a kiss without the rush/Me without your time is a jump without the high”. Pure pop poetry! Video
Keep Your Man Happy: Wow, Wow Wow!!!! This takes repeat listening before assessing. This seriously makes me want to get on the table and strut my stuff very much like this naughty minx. This is an ode getting kinky. Ultimately classic Janet Jackson in its nature. Emilia hits some high notes in this that for me recall Kylie in her most playful moments (circa Fever to Body Language). Keep Your Man Happy really ups the ante on the album. Everything else beforehand is ultimately a prelude to this. Marko Rakascan, one the writers behind Keep your man happy was previously seen remixing Robyn hits and produced most of Sophie Elis-Bextors first album. There is so much about I want to say about this song but I must restrict myself. Gonna bite my lip. You just gotta listen to it. It is corruptive, addictive and must be a single, like, now! Pop never sounded so filthy or good.
Heartbreaker: A computer declares “Autoshutodown sequence in progress” which takes me right back to end of the Alien movie. You know when Ripley tries to blow up the Nostromo? Herein, Poret channels her inner Kayne West doing Daft Punk. Pick Me Up basically starts to be brilliant after track six and this keeps the fire burning. Absolutely amazing.
Delirious: Did you think Monrose criminally under used their track Scream? Leaving it to waste as a b-side? Well Delirious is its twin sister but Emilia cranks up the pace. Whereas Scream merely plodded, Delirious strikes out in such a speed it leaves you breathless. Another amazing song that verges on the epic.
Same Place Same Time: This sounds like a track that should have been on the Danity Kane or PussyCat Doll album. If you like that sort of thing then you’ll love it but pretending to be the PCD fails to pushes any of the right buttons for me. It doesn’t go anywhere and gets pretty boring.
Sing My Song: This is much better. Poret returns to familiar territory here with Sing My Song. It is nothing more than a ‘told you so’ sort of dance track dedicated to those who thought she’d never make it. Luckily Sing My Song manages to flick the middle finger to the ‘haterz’ with a wonderful catchy chorus and dance beat that appeases me muchly. If you loved the two singles by the now defunct Soccx of Germany you’ll know where this track goes. I love the vocoder, I love the bitchy sentiment and the 1980s urban baselines of this dance track. For the first few days of listening to this album on my ipod, I walked through Seville thinking that when she sung “I don’t really care if I go wrong” she was actually singing “You’re a real Caravaggio”. How I was bitterly disappointed to discover the true lyrics. Amazing.
Weightless: From the moment this song starts with its strings section, it walks into the land of absolutely amazingness. Weightless is by Guy Chambers. It literally soars into the sky much in the same way Bittersweet Goodbye, Torn, Angels and No Regrets did back in the day. There’s also a touch of Guy Sigsworth to this epic ballad. If you loved the breezy Breathe On Me and the intense yet subtle emotions on Everytime you’ll love Weightless. As I said above, Weightless is the price of the album alone. Emilia struts, pouts and minces like a proper showgirl princess on this album. I wouldn’t expect anything less. Rarely does she let the listener get up close and intimate. Its only on Weightless that she emerges from the stage, its special effects and without the smoke & mirrors. The result is strikingly beautiful. Weightless is easily the best song on the album. Free of heavy production, it has to be the finest pop ballad of 2009 so far. Performance Video
Final thoughts: The only serious complaint about this album would be its sleeve. Trite and ever so trivial I know. On the eventual international release of the album I would alter the album cover as its completely messy. It looks like Emilia is being swallowed-up by a big mess of split-ends. It is also impossible to read the sleeve/production notes as the text is white on a blonde background. Conclusively though, Emilia’s album is striking in its international quality. If I was expecting the usual Swedish dance-pop sensibilities I’d be bitterly disappointed. This is the type of album that won’t budge from the top of USA billboard charts if only given the chance. There are moments when you have to catch yourself from thinking: “wait, this sounds like the Pussycat Dolls or Leona Lewis.” Thankfully those moments are fleeting and only really appear in the first few tracks of the album. It is by track 5 that Emilia struts down the catwalk of fierce rnb-electropop and produces a soundscape that is all her own. It is highly strange that Pick Me Up has yet to be released elsewhere but its been a massive hit in Spain which might be a prelude to impending global success. While this album was made for international dominance Emilia still keeps it unique. This album is amazing. So far its released in Spain and no where else but I am sure that is about to change. At first the album was impossible to find in Spanish music stores but now its everywhere. The Spanish record label are fully supporting this release.
EMILIA DE PORET PICK ME UP REVIEWED (AND ADORED!)
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3 comments:
I want!
They are going with track two as the next single. The fire track. Not the strongest of songs on the album.
Is this getting a swedish release. I dont get the Spanish stores...
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