Nolita Fairtyale: Kind of the perfect first single for her. Shows what she has been doing with her time and it's mainstream enough. Love the structure of the song. Not a huge fan of dropping Stevie's name in the middle, but whatever.
Hands on Me: The drum is a bit drowsy; sounds like a drum machine from the beginning. Not a huge fan of the production on this song. Makes the song a bit dull; this song was so gorgeous live. I do adore the strings. King of a huge 80's vibe when the chorus hits. Bit of a Stevie vibe too. Weird. Would make an excellent second single though, as it is very catchy.
Spring Street: This song sounds soooo familiar for some reason. Can't place it, but I've heard some combination of these notes before. The verses are so lyrically beautiful and the chorus is kind of a letdown as a result. It's a very good song though. Pretty production.
My Best: While I don't think this song is as good as Vanessa does, it's a pretty decent little song. It's not a really memorable song, but it's quite sweet. Strange 80's vibe here too. The production is excellent.
Come Undone: This is one of my favorite tracks off the album. Excellent single material. It's quirky enough to stay true to her roots, but has enough mainstream appeal that it could do very well on radio. Could be a massive hit if it's promoted properly, at least in my opinion.
The One: I actually do not have a huge problem with the Stevie vocals. I prefer the live versions to the actual studio version though. This was probably my favorite song of all the live versions; it was the one I was looking forward to the most. Didn't live up to my personal hype, but it's a strong track.
Heroes & Thieves: Such a majestic song. I used to be an Irish dancer and the strings in the background make me laugh as they sound very similar to songs I used to dance to. The production is ace on this one as well. Her voice sounds a lot better on the studio version than in other versions I have heard.
This Time: Such a disappointment! Loved this song and they completely slowed it down to the point where it just a bore. Her voice sounds so off in the bridge; she's practically shouting. Completely forgettable.
Fools Like Me: Ugh, not a fan of what they did to this song either. I was expecting Fools Like Me to be the darkest song on the album, but it's probably brighter than half of these songs. It's still a good song, but like some of the others... I prefer it live.
Home: Her strongest song on the album. Lyrically and musically, it's beautiful. It's a bit like a nursery rhyme at the beginning and that kind of drags me in. The outro is fantastic. There's a moment though... get a total Styx vibe. Would make an excellent final single, in my opinion.
More Than This: Beautiful work here, from lyrics, to music, to production. Stunning song. I will have to ditto the rest of you who said you can see it in movie trailers and the like; it's perfect for that. "And the tree grows so thick..." is one of my favorite parts of the song. The way she sings it... love it.
Grades:
Nolita Fairytale: 9/10
Hands on Me: 9/10
Spring Street: 9.5/10
My Best: 8.5/10
Come Undone: 10/10
The One: 9/10
Heroes & Thieves: 9.5/10
This Time: 6/10
Fools Like Me: 7/10
Home: 10/10
More Than This: 10/10
For an overall grade of: 88.63, B+. She might get an A with repeated listenings. :wink:
This is her best overall work to date. I loved Harmonium, but it had its major faults in my eyes. It was a strong album, but Heroes & Thieves tops it, no doubt. At least, to me.
