Fires [2] - Nerina Pallot Album Review

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Album Review

Monday June 12, Nerina Pallot's debut single Everybody's Gone To War slips from 15 to 23, though the download moves up six places to 12.This album dropped from 21 to 27. Having bought her first guitar at the age of 11, Jersey girl Nerina fell in love with Michael Jackson's Thriller then moved on to Bon Jovi, Carole King and Simon and Garfunkel. She later learnt violin and sang some opera at a boarding school. Eventually, she ended up in a London art college, but opted to go back to study music. She's listened to many sources of music including her mother's collection, so now comes her chance to impress us with her multi -disciplined skills. The single is a vibrant and unlikely summer anthem, considering the gloomy lyrics. After that, we get a fair spattering of her actual compositional skills, which range from very good to average. Top of the crop is a biographical reference to a man she worked with in the music industry, Mr. King - something that McCartney would write on his acoustic guitar. A rockier All Good People has a more upbeat feel with 'do do do do's aplenty, synths, guitars, and a catchy hook, making it a potential next single, as would Learning To Breath. Sophia, a song she wrote at university, has a definite Carole King feel about it, driven by some delightful piano work and soulful singing. Power-ballad Heart Attack rises and falls with equal class, held together with rippling sticks, and Idaho, which she hears "is mighty pretty" is a bit of an epic, assisted by swirling strings. An ubiquitous sounding Half Way Home, a la Alanis Morissette, is clearly aimed at the states with " a quarter in my pocket", though it does feature some of her best singing.

Others drag on a bit like Geek Love, Damascus, and five minute plus closer Nickindia, ramble endlessly.

It's a very good album: there are some beautiful moments, but not enough to make it a classic. Maybe her time will come.

Elly Roberts