A music critic's comment on 'Heroes & Thieves'...

[Martin.]

Can't remember, I closed off. I was searching for some reviews of the album though. I think it was a couple of pages in.

[portions.for.foxes]

Vanessa Carlton has always been known as a talented singer/songwriter. Her debut album, Be Not Nobody, was incredibly popular, spawning now-classic songs such as A Thousand Miles and Ordinary Day. However, she fell victim to the dreaded sophomore slump on her second album, Harmonium. Three years have passed, and Vanessa is back on the scene, this time signed to The Inc records, home to hip-hop artists Ja Rule, Ashanti and Lloyd. Will this newfound arrangement rub off on Vanessa's new album, Heroes And Thieves?

The first single off of Heroes And Thieves is Nolita Fairytale. The track was produced by Vanessa along with Stephen Jenkins from Third Eye Blind. The influence of Third Eye Blind is ever-present on the track. The track is more rock than you expect from Vanessa. The song is introspective as she mentions losing her record deal. The song is not as catchy as previous Carlton songs.

Home is a classic Vanessa Carlton piano ballad. On the song Carlton once again works with Stephen Jenkins. The song is however moodier and darker than you would expect from Carlton especially at the beginning of the track. However the song builds into a lush environment filled with rich strings.

Hands On Me is another collaboration with Stephen Jenkins is a solid indie-rock song. The song is what you would expect Carlton's music to grow into after several years away from the limelight. The track is edgier then you expect from Carlton.

On The One Vanessa is teamed with one of her idols in Stevie Nicks. The song was written and produced by Vanessa along with Stephen Jenkins and Linda Perry. The song is extremely catchy and Vanessa's voice perfectly matches the song. The cameo by Nicks definitely adds credibility to Carlton amongst her target audience.

This Time teams Vanessa once again with musical legend Linda Perry. The song is what you expect from this combination. The song proves that Carlton really is an old soul and with Perry's knowledge they produce a very solid song.

More Than This is a solid pop record instep with her biggest hits. The song is extremely catchy and you can hear a new deeper level in Vanessa's voice.

Heroes And Thieves is a good pop-rock album. The tracks appear to be very well-thought-out. The music speaks for itself. The Inc's influence is clearly missing from the project, which is a good thing. Just listen to the album, and you'll be a fan. Heroes And Thieves gets 7.5 out of 10. If you're a fan of Vanessa Carlton, make sure you purchase Heroes And Thieves when it's in stores on October 9th.

That is quite possibly one of the most poorly written interviews I've read, it's so goddamn stunted and worded terribly.

And Stevie's cameo adds credibility to Vanessa? Wtf. Ugh, that guy needs to shut the hell up and never write a review ever again.

[Epit]

Different people with different perception....

[MeganJane]

That last one's not bad. This one's bad (for Nolita Fairytale, not the whole album)

This morning when I opened iTunes in search of a new release to check out, it was a toss up between a song from The Rocket Summer’s new album (which so far sounds like a super catchy, super fun, summer album that rockets my sockets to Jupiter.) or Vanessa Carlton’s new single. Being that Vanessa Carlton has been non-existent for the past… who knows how long… I decided that I’d give it a spin.

Here’s some background:

We all recognize Carlton’s name, piano melodies, and incredibly full voice from her 2002 release Be Not Nobody, with the single that I never seemed to get out of earshot from, “A Thousand Miles.” Released within a year of Michelle Branch’s butt-kicking album, The Spirit Room, Vanessa Carlton spent most of her hype and 15 minutes on my backburner.  However, I always really did enjoy the first track from the album, “Ordinary Day.” An upbeat, catchy and driving number with excellent lyrics to carry it along. Zammo! I could listen to it on repeat for days and still think it’s a great song, top to bottom. But then what happened to Little Miss Carlton?

In 2004, Carlton released her sophomore album, Harmonium, which not only completely slipped under my radar, but that of millions of Americans as the album only sold 179,000 copies, causing her to part ways with her label, A&M. Since then, label-less and pretty much out of at least my conscious thought, looks like she’s been on-again, off-again dating Semi-Charmed Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind, who also co-produced her next record, Heroes and Thieves, slated to be released early October on The Inc. Records (formerly known as Murder, Inc., a primarily hip-hop label, that boasts such artists as, JaRule and Ashanti. That’s not totally bad. After all, in 2005, Fiona Apple teamed up with well-known hip-hop producer Mike Elizondo, to create one of the greatest albums ever recorded by anyone in the history of music. Ever.).

Which brings us up to today, July 17, 2007, when we see the release of the first single from this album, “Nolita Fairytale”.

The song starts out with the promise of something different, an energized drum beat that gets joined by Carlton’s signature punchy chord progressions and her voice that sounds exactly like it did in 2002.  Starting low, the track gives promise that it has nowhere to go but up, up, up. But it never quite makes it to any sort of climax or peak. In fact, the song remains completely flat, unexciting, and something you’re likely to find in the closing credits of a Hillary Duff film, instead of your car stereo.  This is “sell-out” pop music at its absolute best today. An artist, producers and label that are looking to cash in on the unoriginal, uninspired and uninteresting garbage that gets eaten up by the masses.  She’s being produced by people who don’t understand the genre as much as they understand business, and that’s exactly what I see to be completely wrong with the music industry today. Vanessa did not grow up with her audience. Through this single, she has shown us that she’s remained the same and is living in the “Fairytale” that if she writes a boring and formulaic pop song, she’ll make it big once again.

Upon first listen, you can see that it’s just a tragically misproduced and mismarketed song. Without really paying attention, you could hear potential peeking through, if only Carlton got her own taste of Elizondo on her side. But when really listening to the music, this song whines and complains like an angsty and unintelligent hate-letter to A&M for a grueling three minutes and twenty-eight seconds (”So take away my record deal, the one I don’t need.” Right.).  To me, she’s proven to be an immature and loose cannon of a song writer, relying on the same old tricks, same old combinations to try and rekindle at least 30 seconds of her long gone 15 minutes. At 27, Vanessa Carlton has officially re-defined “has-been.”

As my friend John so brilliantly put it, “I’m surprised that Third Eye Blind guy still gives her permission to sing.” I couldn’t agree more.

From http://chelofthesea.wordpress.com/2007/07/17/one-track-mind-vanessa-carlton-nolita-fairytale/

[Journey_to]

Who knew Irv Gotti was into piano-driven pop/rock? While trying to revive Ja Rule’s career, the rap mogul signed Carlton to his label, and the unlikely result is a brilliant pop CD. Carlton’s vocals and piano work are striking, but her complex-sensitive songwriting is reminiscent of Stevie Nicks, which might explain why the rock goddess dubbed Carlton the best female singer-songwriter of her generation.

Download: "The One."

It was given an A- The review is from the boston herald..

[PianoPlayer12]

what an asshole....(that guy who reviewd NF)
 :evil:


heres a short little interview i found...its not really anything we havent heard::

October 7, 2007 -- Stevie Nicks inspired her to sing "Take away my record deal/go on I don't need it"

"That's about trying to figure out my place in the industry. I went on the road with Stevie Nicks, and she centered me. She prevented me from taking myself out of the fight."

She and Stevie got all BFF together. "We talk in the middle of the night. She would say, 'You need to carry the torch of singer/songwriters. The industry's in trouble if artists like you can't survive.' She took me under her chiffon wing."

She started in N.Y.C.

"I played The Sidewalk Cafe, the Bitter End, a couple of places on the Upper West Side. The Bitter End was a home for me."

Irv Gotti, Stephan Jenkins and Linda Perry produced different parts of the record. "I started enjoying myself with Linda, and not feeling like this was work, but like I was this bohemian artist. The Stephan sessions were super-intensive. He would say, 'Let's do a 50-piece choir here,' or, 'I'm just gonna start whistling.' If Irv doesn't like something, he can't fake it, and he has impeccable ears. These people never follow the rules, which is like me. We're all contrarians in our own way.

At least we know where the whistling came from..LOL

[Manda]

That last one's not bad. This one's bad (for Nolita Fairytale, not the whole album)

This morning when I opened iTunes in search of a new release to check out, it was a toss up between a song from The Rocket Summer’s new album (which so far sounds like a super catchy, super fun, summer album that rockets my sockets to Jupiter.) or Vanessa Carlton’s new single. Being that Vanessa Carlton has been non-existent for the past… who knows how long… I decided that I’d give it a spin.

Here’s some background:

We all recognize Carlton’s name, piano melodies, and incredibly full voice from her 2002 release Be Not Nobody, with the single that I never seemed to get out of earshot from, “A Thousand Miles.” Released within a year of Michelle Branch’s butt-kicking album, The Spirit Room, Vanessa Carlton spent most of her hype and 15 minutes on my backburner.  However, I always really did enjoy the first track from the album, “Ordinary Day.” An upbeat, catchy and driving number with excellent lyrics to carry it along. Zammo! I could listen to it on repeat for days and still think it’s a great song, top to bottom. But then what happened to Little Miss Carlton?

In 2004, Carlton released her sophomore album, Harmonium, which not only completely slipped under my radar, but that of millions of Americans as the album only sold 179,000 copies, causing her to part ways with her label, A&M. Since then, label-less and pretty much out of at least my conscious thought, looks like she’s been on-again, off-again dating Semi-Charmed Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind, who also co-produced her next record, Heroes and Thieves, slated to be released early October on The Inc. Records (formerly known as Murder, Inc., a primarily hip-hop label, that boasts such artists as, JaRule and Ashanti. That’s not totally bad. After all, in 2005, Fiona Apple teamed up with well-known hip-hop producer Mike Elizondo, to create one of the greatest albums ever recorded by anyone in the history of music. Ever.).

Which brings us up to today, July 17, 2007, when we see the release of the first single from this album, “Nolita Fairytale”.

The song starts out with the promise of something different, an energized drum beat that gets joined by Carlton’s signature punchy chord progressions and her voice that sounds exactly like it did in 2002.  Starting low, the track gives promise that it has nowhere to go but up, up, up. But it never quite makes it to any sort of climax or peak. In fact, the song remains completely flat, unexciting, and something you’re likely to find in the closing credits of a Hillary Duff film, instead of your car stereo.  This is “sell-out” pop music at its absolute best today. An artist, producers and label that are looking to cash in on the unoriginal, uninspired and uninteresting garbage that gets eaten up by the masses.  She’s being produced by people who don’t understand the genre as much as they understand business, and that’s exactly what I see to be completely wrong with the music industry today. Vanessa did not grow up with her audience. Through this single, she has shown us that she’s remained the same and is living in the “Fairytale” that if she writes a boring and formulaic pop song, she’ll make it big once again.

Upon first listen, you can see that it’s just a tragically misproduced and mismarketed song. Without really paying attention, you could hear potential peeking through, if only Carlton got her own taste of Elizondo on her side. But when really listening to the music, this song whines and complains like an angsty and unintelligent hate-letter to A&M for a grueling three minutes and twenty-eight seconds (”So take away my record deal, the one I don’t need.” Right.).  To me, she’s proven to be an immature and loose cannon of a song writer, relying on the same old tricks, same old combinations to try and rekindle at least 30 seconds of her long gone 15 minutes. At 27, Vanessa Carlton has officially re-defined “has-been.”

As my friend John so brilliantly put it, “I’m surprised that Third Eye Blind guy still gives her permission to sing.” I couldn’t agree more.

From http://chelofthesea.wordpress.com/2007/07/17/one-track-mind-vanessa-carlton-nolita-fairytale/

That guy was just really rude. He didn't really have to say those things and he could have gotten his quotes right. I like how he goes on and on to put her down. Some people don't know real music.

[Imaginary Ocean]

What an asshole... You can't tell someone he doesn't deserve to sing... and Vanessa is a brilliant artist... anyway.... Pass by.

[Manda]

What an asshole... You can't tell someone he doesn't deserve to sing... and Vanessa is a brilliant artist... anyway.... Pass by.

He probably has no musical talent of his own.  :roll: whattajerk.