Amanda
Musicality/Instrumentation: This song isn’t like the usual songs that we review. Even when we reviewed Dom’s blues album, we could speak of the usual instruments of guitar, drums and bass. This song, this genre doesn’t lend to the usual discussion on instrumentation since it is much more about the electronic. How is the electronic then? The music follows a typical pattern for trance/techno in that it has a small wave of sound leading to the more upbeat tempo. There seems to be two basic layers of sound, which changes slightly when the vocals begin. In general, the music changes only subtly through the verses. It also changes more significantly right after the chorus in which there is a brief lull in the fast tempo. The biggest moment for the dramatic slow down is at about the half way point. Again, this is typical for this genre in order to slow down before speeding up. I often think this fast then slow pattern is to allow dancers to get some extra breaths in before moving quickly again! In general, the music would make me want to dance without being too repetitious or containing notes that are bothersome, which is sometimes found in the genre.
Vocals: Ah…As I stated on Friday, John approached these vocals in the same way he did with the 9 1/2 Weeks theme song back in the mid 80s. I think that description fits it well. He isn’t totally singing but he isn’t just speaking either. Plus, at times, like during the chorus, he does more singing and during the verses, he does more speaking. The vocals, unlike the music, are slower, deeper. (I might even say sexy…but I’m trying to be all professional here! 😉 ) They provide a nice contrast to the music, I think. I also like there is an additional layering to the vocals. How very Duran.
Lyrics: The lyrics clearly tell a story of a person who was in trouble and almost didn’t make it. Now, though, he has changed and is hoping to get a second chance. I love the line, “A man can change. Let me be proof of that. Let me be everything you ever wanted.” Oh my. There isn’t a ton to the lyrics and they aren’t very complicated but they seem true to the heart. The idea of acceptance is a powerful one and so ties to everything we have been reading and discussing in John’s book.
Production: Production is not my area of expertise. It is even less my expertise when it comes to this genre. Here is what I will say. The music is decent. It appears to be mixed well without too much emphasis on the music or on the vocals. I also think that John’s vocals were well done with the right amount of singing vs. speaking. I also liked how there were times when there were more whispers of vocals. Nice touch.
Overall: I am glad that I went ahead and made the purchase of this song. Obviously, I always like to check out Duran related projects but, in this case, I was happy to have done so. I definitely see me listening to this one in the future. In my opinion, musically, it captures the best elements of trance and techno in that it made me want to dance and not because it got stuck in my head! That said, I can’t help but to think that John’s vocals and lyrics are the best part. When I listen to the song, I will be listening for that voice. I love the speaking/singing spectrum that is used and lyrically, it has a positive message.
Cocktail Rating: 3.5 cocktails!
Rhonda
Musicality/Instrumentation: Remind me why we agreed to do this again?? Don’t get me wrong – I don’t hate it at all. I just don’t know how to quite go about reviewing this and I’m feeling like I’m in over my head. Let’s just call this a learning curve on my part. What I can tell you is that the synths are lush and atmospheric without being annoyingly repetitive or boring, which is what I tend to find with this genre. What I love is that there’s some actual depth to the sound and melody lines. I can hear far more than just a couple of synth loops, and I applaud that. It’s not purely trance, although those elements are there and if it were playing in a club, I would definitely be able to do dance to it. I can already hear the infinite mixes that would take place in a club environment… I have to say, I like what they’ve done, and to be honest – I was worried I’d have nothing good to say.
Vocals: I know this is the part all of you out there have been waiting to read. Let’s be honest: the draw here (for us) is John Taylor. So how did our bass man turned vocalist do? Not bad at all. In my opinion, his voice is perfect for the song, and I adore how it was recorded as spoken word (in part). His voice sounds haunting in parts and has that dark element that I really like. I know many out there have commented that while John is a beautiful lyricist in his own right (I’ll get to that in a minute), his real talent lies in his musicianship as a bassist. At one point, I might have agreed – but you know, I think John sounds fantastic in this song. It’s clear that there is plenty of effect going on with his vocals, but it’s not like they set the boy up on auto-tune and let ‘er rip either. Those of you who know me from reading realize that I am not a fan of the overused autotune that seems to happen in almost every single radio single these days. Not a fan at all, so it’s nice not to be smacked in the face with it for a change. John did a great job.
Lyrics: Do you know what I love even more than John Taylor speaking? His lyrics. I think he writes beautifully. I love the message of his lyrics in this one, and to be honest – I love the title. (in English John translates it to Everything is Black. Seriously – the last few days when I’ve been sick with the flu – that is EXACTLY how I felt! :D) I must agree to Amanda, I think the lyrical content of the song lends itself rather well to his book. Interesting. John said he approached it as a follow up to his work for “I Do What I Do”. I think it’s a follow up and a perfect song to accompany his book. “I barely made it. I caught the line you threw to me.” Wow. If that doesn’t hit you…what will??? There isn’t a lot to the lyrics here, this is true – but you know, I love the simplicity of them. I don’t scratch my head in wonder, there isn’t so much to wade through – but the ideas are solid and the point comes across very well.
Production: I touched on production a bit earlier, but I think it’s important to note that even though this genre is electronic – I think it sounds exactly as it should. It’s not overdone, it’s not smacking me with 50 layers of sound that all tend to become pure noise – it’s pure and simple. The more I hear, the more I like…and I did not know that I was going to say that today.
Overall: Can I tell you a story? When I first heard this song was coming out – I groaned. I was not excited at all, and I even told Amanda as much. I said, *coughs* “I’m not buying it, so if you want to get it and mention it on the blog – feel free.” (BAD RHONDA!!!) I didn’t think much more about it until John came out of “tweet silence” to mention the song’s existence. I dared to tweet back to him that I hadn’t bought it yet. Wow I’m daring. Then all of the sudden we get a comment on one of our blogs here that the song was out and that we should review it. I messaged Amanda and said “OK, that’s fine – I’ll review the damn thing but you know what – I’m not going to like it, and if I’m still sick that day, they are probably not going to be very happy with what I say. The thing is, I needed an attitude adjustment. The fact is, we try to support all of their work. That doesn’t mean we’re going to love it all or give it glowing reviews, but we try to be supportive. Besides, even if we don’t like something – someone else might, and if we can help get the word out, we’re happy to do so.
I am pleased to say that I actually like the song and that my initial assessments were way off. (Too bad more reviewers don’t admit when they’re wrong, huh??) I’ve got it on repeat in my ears right now, and I mean it – the more I listen, the more I like it. I think I’ve found myself a new background song for book writing – and trust me when I say I need them. I hope more of you give it a fair listen (and if it’s because of our review feel free to tell DURAN DURAN), because it’s got a great message, a really interesting musicality and let’s face it – the vocalist is pretty damn good too.
Rating: I originally was going to give this 3 cocktails…I even told Amanda so last night, but the more I listen – the more I really think it’s worth 4!
I loved it and just adore JT he is the epitome of sexy all over and I could listen to him all day lol