lambchops's Full Review: Sleeping in the Nothing [PA] by Kelly Osbourne
A distinct lack of real singing prowess works for Kelly Osbourne on her second album, Sleeping in the Nothing. There’s not a person who would say otherwise. Osbourne really, honestly can’t sing. With that said, Sleeping in the Nothing is the perfect outlet for the limited talent. It’s mostly entertaining and largely inoffensive—a vaguely decent pop album.
If it wasn’t for producer Linda Perry, Sleeping in the Nothing wouldn’t be worth talking about. Known for her work with singers including Pink, Christina Aguilera, and Gwen Stefani, Perry has created an outlet for her brand of hip, dance-inspired pop music. Osbourne’s sophomore album is certainly well suited to the producer’s growing list of credits. What strikes me in particular about this disc and what sets it apart from the singer’s debut Shut Up (or is it Changes) is the direction of the music. Sleeping in the Nothing obviously owes a debt of gratitude to the synthesized style of retro new wave revival bands like Scissor Sisters, Franz Ferdinand, and The Killers. It’s clear who this album is intended for and it’s not exactly the same audience as the last.
The first thing that strikes me about the album is the art. I don’t generally speak about such trivialities but it is striking. The theme is color—black and white photos contrasted by stark yellow art. Osbourne may not be the most gorgeous girl in the world, but in this setting she is beautiful and delicate. There’s nothing brash or over the top about the look of the disc—a fact which proves refreshing in the face of the whole “Osbournes” phenomenon.
Art aside, Sleeping in the Nothing is still a worthy little album. It doesn’t challenge me emotionally or intellectually but it does make for an easy and unpretentious listening experience. I can’t fault Osbourne for sporting an unremarkable voice when the end product is better than products from so many apparently “more talented” writers and vocalists. This forthright admission of fault is felt throughout the album. Osbourne (fortunately) never overextends her voice and the songs in no way feign profundity.
That leaves the listeners with the music—don’t think about the songs too hard and you won’t be disappointed. Osbourne is comfortable in her synthesized surroundings. She doesn’t push herself and as a result the songs are easy and appealing. The whole thing starts with One World which with its upbeat arrangement, calm vocals, and retro kitsch makes for an entertaining moment or twelve. It’s not perfect, but it is well worth checking out. Ditto with second song, Uh Oh. It actually smacks of distinctly less (yes, less) talented Ashlee Simpson fodder but with a slightly more interesting and less important edge. Young miss Kelly has just enough of a “punk-pop-princess” edge to sell the song along side electric guitars, drums, and synth machines. It’s reminds me of Madonna circa 1985 meets Dead or Alive. It works nicely.
Sleeping in the Nothing continues on with more retro bubblegum in the forms of the kicky Redlight, the heavily synthesized Secret Lover, and I Can’t Wait which reminds me a bit too much of the synthesized “rock” of Starship’s We Built This City. The album is by and large an average affair, but I still can’t help but listen to the whole darned thing. It’s an embarrassing thing to admit, but come on—how can you not get a kick out of something so unabashedly retro?
The next thing I like a good amount is dance-pop track Suburbia. The Perry-written song is impossible to ignore in the context of the overall picture. Osbourne sings in a relaxed, monotone style that works well with the kinetic arrangement and the muffled, synthesized voices which back her. It seems to lack any real instruments and as such is one of the most early-1980’s MTV sounding of the lot. The dance beats are great and it’s ready-made for the floors. From this point on, I really don’t see anything new or remarkable about the album outside of the mild joy I get out of the driving final track Entropy. It’s not bad really, just somewhat “samey.” I like listening to it (deep, deep down inside) and can’t help but think that a lot of other people will get a kick out of the newly released Sanctuary title.
This is much more a Linda Perry record than a Kelly Osbourne one. While it’s clear that she has talent worthy of the entertainment biz, I’m not sure she’s entirely figured out what it is. She may be on the right track though—could Kelly be our next dancefloor diva? That remains to be seen, but as it stands I’m rather entertained by this record and can’t help but think that others will feel similarly about it all. It is, in the end, a surprisingly rewarding but overall average record.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. One World
02. Uh Oh
03. Redlight
04. Secret Lover
05. I Can’t Wait
06. Edge of Your Atmosphere
07. Suburbia
08. Don’t Touch Me While I’m Sleeping
09. Save Me
10. Entropy
11. One Word (dance mix)
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
![Sleeping in the Nothing [PA] by Kelly Osbourne](http://di1.shopping.com/images1/pi/b7/92/3f/2006764384-177x150-0-0.jpg)
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.