2008 Woodie Awards
'Made Of Bricks' has witty wordplay
By: Mike Fuksman
Issue date: 1/7/08 Section: Lifeline
Upcoming singer-songwriter Kate Nash's debut record, "Made Of Bricks," manages to come off as being vulgar and sophisticated at the same time.
Nash fuses Cockney-style slang and delicate piano playing, much like her fellow Brit Lily Allen.
The tune "Dickhead" is surprisingly cultured-sounding, despite its crude title. Nash's lyrics follow suit, and are at once poetic and ribald. She has quite the potty mouth on several of her songs, but manages to blend it with witty remarks and elegant poetry.
Opening song "Play" really showcases the diversity of the record. It mixes a distorted drum loop and gospel organ with Nash's minimalistic piano playing. The rest of the record plays out in much the same way; you can hear everything from accordions to kazoos on any given song.
Nash has a way with storytelling.
The ballad "Birds" dresses up a simple anecdote about birds with mellow acoustic guitar, xylophone and Nash's own smooth voice.
Most of the tunes on "Made Of Bricks" are simple stories about relationships and the other typical singer-songwriter musings.
She even throws in a self-denigrating stab at her drinking habit on "Shit Song (Interlude)".
Nash's singing meshes well with her story-esque lyrics. She sings in an almost spoken word-esque manner that lends itself well to her writing.
However, it's the storytelling that also is the downfall of the record. Do we really need to hear about some guy who borrowed change from you, Kate? It's one thing to tell an interesting story, but the whole "some guy broke my heart, etc" thing is just a little bit played out at this point.
With all of that aside, "Made Of Bricks" is an interesting change of pace from the usual "girl with a piano" shtick.
Norah Jones and Alicia Keys might be accomplished players, but they could use an infusion of humor. Nash has that in spades.
lifeline@cm-life.com
Nash fuses Cockney-style slang and delicate piano playing, much like her fellow Brit Lily Allen.
The tune "Dickhead" is surprisingly cultured-sounding, despite its crude title. Nash's lyrics follow suit, and are at once poetic and ribald. She has quite the potty mouth on several of her songs, but manages to blend it with witty remarks and elegant poetry.
Opening song "Play" really showcases the diversity of the record. It mixes a distorted drum loop and gospel organ with Nash's minimalistic piano playing. The rest of the record plays out in much the same way; you can hear everything from accordions to kazoos on any given song.
Nash has a way with storytelling.
The ballad "Birds" dresses up a simple anecdote about birds with mellow acoustic guitar, xylophone and Nash's own smooth voice.
Most of the tunes on "Made Of Bricks" are simple stories about relationships and the other typical singer-songwriter musings.
She even throws in a self-denigrating stab at her drinking habit on "Shit Song (Interlude)".
Nash's singing meshes well with her story-esque lyrics. She sings in an almost spoken word-esque manner that lends itself well to her writing.
However, it's the storytelling that also is the downfall of the record. Do we really need to hear about some guy who borrowed change from you, Kate? It's one thing to tell an interesting story, but the whole "some guy broke my heart, etc" thing is just a little bit played out at this point.
With all of that aside, "Made Of Bricks" is an interesting change of pace from the usual "girl with a piano" shtick.
Norah Jones and Alicia Keys might be accomplished players, but they could use an infusion of humor. Nash has that in spades.
lifeline@cm-life.com
