Saturday, June 04, 2005

Merril Bainbridge - The Garden

OK this is a very difficult review to write.

It's because I actually like this album. Bainbridge has a good singing voice. Each song is well-written and meticulously prepared. They are all smooth, easy listening ballads.

I remember hearing the single 'Mouth' years ago when I was younger, and enjoyed the song a lot. 'Under the Water' and 'Miss You' are the other standout tracks. I'm sure you will like them too.

I just have one problem, and I'm almost embarassed to admit it...

There's something creepy about this CD. For some reason... well... it just scares the shit out of me, there I said it!

Ms. Bainbridge has an odd voice, your textbook high soprano. Don't get me wrong, it sounds good when listened to, but it just sounds.. different. And the lyrics and tone of the music are simply weird sounding. My inability to understand it is what causes me to fear it. Why do I get the feeling that the song 'Mouth' is about some sort of sex or lesbian act. While 'Under the Water' sounds like some new age type thing. The album cover and booklet which shows the singer in an odd garden surrounded by what looks like insects certainly don't help. Could Bainbridge be a witch or something? Not that I have anything against witches, or sex for that matter. The songs just sound overly sugar-coated to disguise their real meaning. It gives me the creeps.

Hopefully one day I'll be proven all wrong. And perhaps this turns out to be just another pop album and I just happen to be imagining stuff. In the meantime, this CD stays buried in my office drawer.

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars *
No offense. It's quality music, it just scares me.

1 comment:

robdelacruz said...

'Mouth' was the reason I got the CD. Actually it's not bad, the rest of the songs are quite good, just a bit bland.

I'm probably overreacting on the 'fear' side, my imagination might be acting up, and combine that with the anticipation of watching Audition last Friday. The reason why her songs make me uncomfortable is that they sound too sickeningly sweet, sort of like a coverup for the hidden meaning of the songs. I'll be happy to be proven wrong, perhaps this is just your typical pop album.