In the annals of great musical artists who are also great businesswomen, there has to be a special place for Imogen Heap. Who, one might ask, is Imogen Heap? Well, right now on the radio, there is a sample of an Imogen Heap song in the high-charting single "What Did You Say?" That sample, with the overproduced vocals bleating out a chorus comes from the Imogen Heap album "Speak For Yourself" (reviewed at: http://www.epinions.com/content_423151963780 ). Heap signed off on the use of the sample because she knew her new album, "Ellipse" (reviewed at: http://www.epinions.com/content_487408963204 ) would be hitting the market a few months later and she coincided the release brilliantly. The single that has her earlier sample is currently at #2 on iTunes (right behind a Miley Cyrus song) and whenever people get curious enough to look for Imogen Heap they will discover she has a new song and while sales of "Speak For Yourself" are no doubt significant once again, one has to believe it is also helping the chart position of "Ellipse."
The other thing that is helping the chart position of "Ellipse" is that there is a two-disc version of the album in addition to the standard single-disc version. The two-disc version (also available as a digital download for just $3.00 more than the single album version download) contains a second compact disc which includes the instrumental versions of the entire first album. As a result, fans of the works of Imogen Heap are able to hear all of the same songs a second time, unencumbered by the pesky lyrics. Heap adds real value to the endeavor with having the second disc as she has a very distinctive sound. In fact, it was only listening to "Earth" on the second disc that I discovered how musically alive the song actually is. Heap is impressive with her instrumental abilities and the second disc illustrates that quite well.
With twenty-six songs clocking out at 97:30 (as a digital download, the same amount spread over two discs on c.d. at the thirteen song mark), the two-disc "Ellipse" is distinctly the work of artist Imogen Heap. The album, which is characterized as an "electronic" album, is the creative concept and execution of Imogen Heap. Heap wrote all of the lyrics and she programmed all of the instruments. As well, Imogen Heap is the sole credited producer of the album, so it is hard to argue that this is anything but the intended musical vision of Heap herself.
That musical vision is eclectic, though it is not an incredibly audacious album. "Ellipse" has moments - the first single "First Train Home" being a perfect example - where it is a very traditional pop-dance album. But beyond that, the songs are interesting and populated by produced bells and keyboards. "Wait It Out" is a more traditional pop ballad, but even the socially conscious "Bad Body Double" which has great lyrics sounds very typical pop/techno. Even so, songs like "Tidal" use a wide array of instrumental sounds (given that it is all produced, it is tough to call it an actual instrument, though it sounds like flutes at times) and Imogen Heap's "Ellipse" is easy to listen to and enjoy.
Instrumentally, the most creative track might well be "Aha!" "Aha!" features rapidly moving low strings creating a spooky bassline (very Stanislas) and Heap's vocals coming out more as a moan, which enhances the creepy vibe of the song. "Aha!" has a very untraditional, but classical (as in Classical music) sound to it. In this way, Imogen Heap is incredibly creative even when she still has songs like "Earth" which is a very simple pop-dance number and "Little Bird" which is a slow, quiet ballad in a surprisingly boring tradition. Having the second disc allows listeners to hear just how incredible Imogen Heap is as a programmer.
Take, for example, "Little Bird." On the second disc, stripped of its lullaby lines and Heap's soprano vocals, the song is both simple and strangely dour. First, it is lower and the song is made to sound like it is plucked out, making it seem more contemplative and sad. The effect is that the instrumental version is unsettling, whereas the vocal version of the song is just annoying.
Vocally, Imogen Heap probably would have scored higher if I had less experience with musical artists. Heap has a great soprano voice, but she uses it in ways that are either entirely original or sadly derivative. So, for example, on "Tidal," Heap's vocals go for lower and more powerful, instantly evoking the sound of contemporary Annie Lennox. By contrast, on "Swoon," she sings high and fast and the song is delightfully original. Inarguably, she has a great voice and on "Ellipse," she allows it to be heard. Unlike songs on "Speak For Yourself," she does not rely on production elements to alter her vocals and she has a beautiful, natural voice.
That voice articulates her own lyrics wonderfully, though with a noticeable British accent. "Ellipse" is a decently-diverse album as far as the content of the songs go, though it does seem to be more intended for adults than children. Heap unabashedly explores sexuality on songs like "Swoon" and "Between Sheets." She has a healthy expression of desire and she is playful when she sings out "Stuck in a cinema or saving me from a car / You'll suddenly realize and fall into my arms / Working you undercover, softly slowly got ya / Any moment now you're gonna swoon / Let me be the great scott, / Tip top pit stop in your ocean! / I could be the shipmate's wife / Got you down and dirty with the lotion" ("Swoon"). Imogen Heap is positively lusty and her expressions of sexuality in "Swoon" are energetic and fun.
Rather impressively, Imogen Heap also sings about issues like distorted body image ("Bad Body Double") and the excitement of being alive being crushed by infidelity ("Aha!"). But most of the songs are about love and relationships and fulfilling desires, which makes her more musically audacious songs seem more standard. The lyrics actually have the effect of making the songs seem more average than they might otherwise be.
That said, Heap has an astonishing ability for imagery. She sings about universal emotions and sentiments, yet makes them seem new again. Her lines "Fragile / Earth where / Cracks in the temperature / Keep it cool, / To give, you understand / 'Cuz I just can't find the strength to pull you up / And keep you taut" ("Canvas") she is poetic and clear. Moreover, Imogen Heap is working with a higher level of diction than most musical artists hitting the pop-rock and dance charts today.
On disc 1, "The Fire" stands out as an instrumental track played on piano with a simulated fire. The disc 2 version of "The Fire" is just the sounds of a fire crackling and that is unimpressive at best. The first disc in this two-disc set is identical and the second disc, outside the fire noises for "The Fire" are the same songs as disc one, stripped of their vocals and lyrics.
It is easy to recommend the two-disc version of "Ellipse" because Imogen Heap is creating something unlike anything anyone else is producing now and her music is actually quite stunning. Still, where one song is instrumentally fresh, it seems to be lyrically or vocally stunted. Or, for example, where "Half Life" is lyrically powerful with its musical storysong of trying to figure out the science of love and relationships, it is musically pedestrian with a very traditional piano sound and Heap's vocals sound light and airy in a way that is very girlish. The album is erratic and while it has a good number of hits where Heap gets things right, she has at least as many where the album falls flat.
The best songs are "Bad Body Double" (Disc 1) and "Aha!" (Disc 2) the low points are the less memorable lullaby "Little Bird" (Disc 1) and "The Fire" (Disc 2).
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