The Beautiful South first caught my ear with the brilliant "Don't Marry Her", which is the track that starts off this album.

I still remember the delightful surprise of when I first heard this song on the radio - a woman (Jacqueline Abbott) with a beautiful voice singing this really upbeat, perky song. The kind that easily inspires innocent, fluffy daydreams of a summer day without a care in the world.

This creates a perfect setting for the punch line: in the same happy, upbeat, beautifully innocent way, she sings the wicked smile inducing "Don't marry her, f**k me". Surely the world of music has seen more shocking lyrics, but it's all about the context.... (There's also a watered down version of the song with a substituting line "Don't marry her, have me" that ran on MTV for a while - this album contains the original.) Although I am no fan of profanities, and rarely find an occasion to justify one, the four letter word has never been used better... :-)

All in all "Don't Marry Her" is a song with a fiendishly teasing attitude and brilliant lyrics.


Rest of the CD

After "Don't Marry Her", you get:

Little Blue

A Very beautiful song with nice lyrics (no strings attached this time) - if you are feeling a bit down on your luck, put this song on, and your tears will soon turn into a smile. This one is sung by the male vocalist in the band (I think he's name is Paul Heaton).


Mirror

Continuing with the upbeat melodies, this one has a more serious lyrics, a message behind it. The intriguing contrast between words and the tone of the music is what "The Beautiful South" seems to do best.

This is a tune that will be playing in your head for a while....


Blackbird On The Wire

This slow song, the first one of it's kind, again sung by Paul, is about one-sided love. Not the best of the album but still quite beautiful.


The Sound of America

Paul again, singing a song appreciative of freedom, but wondering at the suffering in America, and criticising the way the less fortunate are treated. A snippet from the lyrics:

Sometimes you feel expensive, sometimes you feel so cheep
You can roam the streets a King, whilst everyone's asleep
You can mime to any record, with a hairbrush or a spoon
But God help the singer out of tune

Thoughtful lyrics, but the tune isn't the best of the record. A bit candy-coated.


Have Fun

This is a duet with both lead singers taking turns. Not a bad song at all.


Liars' Bar

This one is a song the album could have done without - it's Paul singing about a man too much into drinking. The problem is that he sings with an attempt at a "rough" had-a-bit-too-much-whisky voice... not a good idea to try with a voice as angelic as Paul's. Not altogether bad, but a bit corny. Leave the whisky-roughness to Tom Waits I say!


Rotterdam (Or Anywhere)

A happy song reminiscent of the first songs on the album, sung by Jacqueline. I quite like this one.


Foundations

Happy again... very up-beat. This time with Paul, with Jacqueline providing background support. (If you've heard the first album of "Bare Naked Ladies" - this is the sort of stuff that would fit right in there.)


Artificial Flowers

A real tear-jerker. About the short life of a small homeles girl living in poverty, crafting artificial flowers for a living. Quite a beautiful song - the best of the ones sung by Paul.


One God

Once again Jacqueline singing in the happy tone she's so good at - while the lyrics are a sharp contrast to the melody. My favourite lines come from this song - they are just brilliant, sung with a happy-go-free smiling voice:

"And the answers fall easier from a barrel of a gun
Than it does from the lips of the beautiful and the dumb
The world won't end in darkness, it'll end in family fun
With Coca Cola clouds behind a Big Mac sun"


Alone

The last song of the album. About loneliness, and the tedium of passing time alone... quite clever lyrics here too.

"And you can tell where we've been shopping
by the bags beneath our eyes
Make-up shoulders burden
But the smile never lies"


Overall impressions

The album has an acoustic feel throughout the songs, despite the few appearances of plugged-in instruments. May get a bit cheesy for some people's tastes at points, but this is more than compensated by the occasional strokes of brilliance in lyrics, and the overall quality of the music. I gladly recommend this album.


Recommended: Yes