In April of 2006, Alison Sudol welcomed EMI bigwig Jason Flom into her Los Angeles living room for a private showcase. Sudol's mother made cookies for the event, but buttering up Mr. Flom turned out quite unnecessary: her shining voice and pristine musicianship were more than enough to convince even the harshest of critics.
A little over a year later, A Fine Frenzy is caught in a whirlwind of success, mainly due to Flom's insight, but also because of their catchy lyrics and infectious tunes. Sudol, now 22, admits she has barely had time to breathe as of late, and is scrambling to get things done before she starts her term as the featured opener on Rufus Wainwright's 2007 tour, starting next month.
I recently had the pleasure of meeting Sudol after an in-house rooftop performance at EMI. I was impressed by her stage presence, her glowing personality, and most of all her musical and vocal abilities. In chatting with her afterwards, it was clear that her charismatic attitude and personability, combined with her talent, will take her far. Also, anyone that sites Sigur Rós, Radiohead, Aqualung and Philip Glass as major influences can't be far off.
A Fine Frenzy's debut album, One Cell in the Sea, is due out on Virgin Records on July 17. The first thing I noticed on this album is Alison's powerful yet delicate voice - she can belt it out on "Rangers" and turn right around and pull it back sweetly on "Almost Lover." Its piano driven pop/rock, and the songs are pulled from real life. In short, Sudol is the female version of John Ondrasik, the real name of Five For Fighting.
While "Rangers" is the first single from the album, I'm not convinced that it's the best track out of the fourteen. Sure, it's catchy, it's addictive, and it has every element needed to become a major radio hit, but songs like "Almost Lover," "Near to You" and "Hope for the Hopeless" show a depth of emotion that's quite unique and touching. "Almost Lover" hit me the hardest. A promo track that I heard early on, "Almost Lover" struck home at a particularly potent time, and remains my favorite track on the album - "I never want to see you unhappy...goodbye my almost lover, goodbye my hopeless dream, I'm tryin' not to think about you" and later, "You're gone and I'm haunted and I bet you're just fine...Did I make it that easy to walk right in and out of my life?"
I generally don't get excited about pop music, but this album really catches my attention from time to time. I'm quite sure it won't make it in the Top Albums category - while the album flows together naturally, it occasionally sounds a bit too similar - it definitely has its moments, and really I can only see her improving her lyricism and musicality in years to come. If you're in the mood for something a little poppier, you might want to check this young lady out.
A Fine Frenzy - "Rangers"
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5 comments:
Not sure how this record could be accused of lacking diversity (other than in the unifying factor of the vocalist and songwriter...). But it depends what your cup of tea is, I s'pose. Seems to be an awful lot to like in there though. And good to see a young artist trying something a little different.
Oh don't get me wrong, there is plenty to like - especially considering it's her debut. All I'm saying is that from time to time the songs aren't as distinctively different as they could be. It's just a minor critique on an otherwise spotless album.
Thank you for introducing her. "Almost Lover" is a very, very nice song. Kind of "instant love". I consider the album already as bought ... ;-)
when did you first hear of her?
i think the first i heard of her was about 2 months ago. i had a demo sent to me, then found out she was opening for wainwright.
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