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Rating:
A phenomenon.
A great voice.
A beautiful album.
In 2000, Italian music networks now have to rely on the old hits of local artists to broadcast good music because finding high-quality pieces among the latest releases is challenging. And in the United States, things aren't much different. Sure, on the global pop scene, you'll find albums by Jennifer Lopez and the third album by the Spice Girls, BUT we are still talking about artists who have been established for several years. Why "BUT"? Because unfortunately, at the same time, there's a trend (or maybe it's always been this way) of "launching" new faces and voices into the music market; simply because new things generate more buzz than old ones. In this mad rush towards who knows what, "artistic meteors" (if we want to call them artistic) are born and die, spanning various genres and naturally, having little originality and quality, are destined for a short life. Amid a blend of ignoble rappers and less-than-presentable hip-hop from overseas lands emerges a great vocal performer.
Her debut album is this "Not That Kind." Already in the title, Anastacia seems to want to stand out from the crowd. Her music is deeply rooted in American traditions, as is evident from the various influences that appear in the album. She is a white woman with a black woman's voice. Some might maliciously say it's a fake and ridiculous imitation. To them, a twofold answer is given. Firstly, it's the result that matters. Listening to the album, the result seems more than achieved. Secondly, Anastacia grew up listening to the music of black singers, and we know what happens to an artist capable of capturing the soul and nuances from music. But Anastacia is something more. The very fact that she is not black leads her to a way of singing that blends with a more "white" style of American pop. Her tracks are a mix of ballads and "black grooves", of music with funky influences and rock flavors. The first track of Anastacia's first album is the one that gives the name to the work. It's probably the best that the blonde has given us. It’s very "driven," it would make even the walls move with its funky-inclined style. The guitar outbursts heard in the background are charming. I believe that 95% of listeners have never noticed them. I myself only accidentally noticed these powerful crunch thirty-seconds (2:27 and 2:34) while driving one day. It’s a nice treat for the guitar-playing listener, and it's certainly no coincidence that the producer decided to feature something which in pop (and not only) appears daring.
"I’m Outta Love" is the lead single. Also very rhythmic, it’s introduced by a soul-jazz keyboard and a guitar that seem to come from a dusty vinyl. When the groove starts, the piece enters into an unstoppable rush interrupted only when the instruments decide to mute to give space to the drum rhythm alone, and then energetically come back after a few bars. The video is very well-designed and you can tell. Full of colors and light games, it’s set in a venue where Anastacia sings her piece in splendid form (capisce a mme). Even for those who, like me, do not know English well, the message is clear. The love story from which the protagonist has emerged defeated was a way to make her understand that at this point, it's impossible for anyone to stop her from enjoying life. In the third track, we get to know the first ballad. "Cowboys and Kisses." Anastacia's lyrics are similar to each other. They have a brand, a style all their own. Enough about words though, let’s talk about music. The track in question is very incisive and illustrates a beautiful characteristic of the singer-songwriter: her grit that manages to strike in slow songs as much as in fast ones. Thanks also to the splendid work of the instrumentalists, the songs with a low b.p.m. metronome never sound boring or repetitive and are as interesting as the rhythmic ones. The arrangements are masterfully done. "Who's Gonna Stop The Rain" is a good example of this. It’s a good example to notice the beauty of the vocalizations, the precision in the notes, the variety of timbres and dynamics of a voice that more than a debut album seems to have reached the summary of a greatest hits. We are at the fifth piece and the dance resumes. "Love Is Alive" has the freshness of a beach track. But perhaps it would be fair to specify that all of Anastacia’s tracks have this, as they are full of joy and energy.
"I Ask of You" is the classic American ballad for women. A song that could very well make one think of a Whitney or a Mariah. Clearly, Anastacia doesn't pale in comparison to her mythical colleagues. "Wishing Well" is another track much more "white" than "black" and presents one of the characteristics that make this difference also in many other pieces: the acoustic guitar strumming. They remind us that the influence of black music in Anastacia's music has to reconcile with strong influences of more European than African origins. "Made for Lovin' You" was the fourth single (the third was "Cowboys and Kisses"). The title suggests a ballad, but instead, it’s a more lively piece, a mix between rock atmospheres and 70s disco. Who knows the atmospheres of "Pilgrim," Eric Clapton's album? "Black Roses" recalls them a lot with its semi-electronic mid-tempo and guitars very similar in style and sounds to those of "Slowhand." Another mention: the following and charming "Yo Trippin'" feels like a track from the first two albums of the Spice Girls. These references are not meant to be critical notes, but rather to highlight the variety of the music on this fantastic album. The track in question also has a very catchy and captivating chorus. Instead, we find a ballad in "Just One More Chance", characterized by incisive rhythmic and vocal breaks. "Not That Kind" closes with another moderately paced track which however differs quite a bit from the others, especially in the approach to Anastacia’s voice. The style adapts well to a closing track: a chorus with ad libitum choirs on which Anastacia engages in improvised phrases.
An Anastacia who has given us an album that never drops in quality. A fresh voice, aggressive, gritty, sensual, which despite being full-bodied is finely able to fit into any tight nook in the landscape of the notes of her music.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Not That Kind (03:20)
All the time that we spend together
I won't fuss, I won't fight
tryin to make you mine
You know I'm not that kind
Ha Wooh Ah c'mon
I said I'll love you 'til the 12th of never
But I won't run far ahead
Leaving you behind
You know I'm not that kind
'Cause I'm not that kind of girl
(Not that kind) (Not that kind of girl)
And it's not my kind of world
(Not that kind) (Not that kind of girl)
No it's not for me (Not that kind)
Not where I wanna be (No, oh oh)
(Not that kind of girl)
Help me out
Tell me what you're thinkin
If I rush, slow me down
You can take your time
You know I'm not that kind (Not that kind)
Yeah (No I'm not that kind of girl)
Woooh
If you leave, I believe life will go on
The wind will blow, water flow
And the sun will shine, yeah it will
You know I'm not that kind
Yeah
'Cause I'm not that kind of girl
(Not that kind) (Not that kind of girl)
And it's not my kind of world
(Not that kind) (Not that kind of girl)
No it's not for me (Not that kind)
So live and set you free
Yeah
Now what I say to you
I would say to no other
I've got my friends
I won't look for another in you, yeah
So what you gonna do?
Yeah yeah yeah
'Cause if you swing with me
You soon will discover
I give you tenderness
Unlike any other can do
Ooooh
And what I say is true
Yeah yeah yeah
'Cause I'm not that kind of girl
And it's not my kind of world
No it's not for me, not for me
I said not where I wanna be
Said not where I wanna be, yeah
It's not my kinda thing,
It's not the way, way we wanna swing
It's not for you, it's not for me
I said my baby
I'm not that kind
I'm not that kind, yeah
No (not that kind)
Not that kind of girl
02 I'm Outta Love (04:03)
Oooooooha, oh woah
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Oh yeah, aha
Now baby come on,
Don't claim that love you never let me feel
I should have known
'Cause you've brought nothing real
Come on be a man about it
You won't die
I ain't got no more tears to cry
And I can't take this no more
You know I gotta let it go
And you know
I'm outta love
Set me free
And let me out this misery
Just show me the way to get my life again
'Cause you can't handle me
(Said) I'm outta love
Can't you see
Baby that you gotta set me free
I'm outta love
Yeah
Said how many times,
Have I tried to turn this love around?
But every time
you just let me down
Come on be a man about it,
you'll survive
True that you can work it out all right
Tell me, yesterday
Did you know?
I'd be the one to let you go?
And you know
I'm outta love
Set me free
(Set me free, yeah)
And let me out this misery
(Oh let me out this misery)
show me the way to live my life again
You can't handle me
(Said) I'm outta love
(I'm outta love) Can't you see
Baby that you gotta set me free
I'm outta...
Let me get over you
The way you've gotten over me too, yeah
Seems like my time has come
And now I'm moving on
I'll be stronger
I'm outta love
Set me free (Set me free)
And let me out this misery
(Let me out this misery, yeah)
Just show me the way to live my life again
(My life again)
You can't handle me (No no, no no)
(Said) I'm outta love (I'm outta love)
Set me free (Set me free)
And let me out this misery
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Show me the way to get my life again
You can't handle me
(I said) I'm outta love
Can't you see (Can't you see)
Baby that you gotta set me free
I'm outta love
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
I'm outta love
Set me free (No no no no no no)
And let me out this misery
Just show me the way to get my life again
You can't handle me
(No no nobody)
(I said) I'm outta love
(Oh yeah, oh yeah)
Set me free
And let me out this misery
03 Cowboys & Kisses (04:41)
Cowboys and kisses
Cowboys and kisses
Gotta find myself everytime you go away
Baggy blue jeans and a box of magazines
Is all I have of you
Waitin' on the day you walk back in my life
Like a newborn child, you made me smile,
Then stole my heart away
We may be outta touch, but never out of time
(Come back to me boy) Come back to me boy
(Cowboys and kisses)
Always seem to bring me down
You're like a weight in my pocket
Everytime you come around
Damn those cowboys and kisses
Gotta find myself everytime you go away
Holdin on to you like a pair of old shoes
That you never throw away
Every road still leads me back to you, yeah
Your little white lies and butterflies made me shed a tear
Still I'm prayin on the day that you'll be mine (mine)
Why do all these
(Cowboys and kisses)
Always seem to bring me down (down)
You're like a weight in my pocket
Everytime you come around
(Damn those) Cowboys and kisses
Gotta find myself everytime you go away
Everytime, everytime baby
(Cowboys and kisses)
(Always seem to bring me down)
You're like a weight in my pocket
Everytime you come around
Damn those cowboys and kisses
Gotta find myself everytime you go away
Yeah
Why do I keep on holding you
When all you do is hurt me?
All my friends say I should let you go
So afraid that I might see
I can't keep on living life like this
Up and down in and out
I wonder, is this world just a cowboy and a kiss?
Or should I choose another?
(Cowboys and kisses)
Always seem to bring me down
You're like a weight in my pocket
Everytime you come around
Damn those cowboys and kisses
I said I gotta find myself everytime you go away
Everytime - Everytime you go away
(Cowboys and kisses)
Always seem to bring me down
You're like a weight in my pocket
Everytime you come around
Damn those cowboys and kisses
Gotta find myself everytime you go away
I said I said I said I said
Gotta find myself everytime you go away
Gotta find myself everytime you go away
Yeah
(Cowboys and kisses)
Yeah yeah yeah
06 I Ask of You (04:27)
Whooo
Your love is like a gentle breeze upon a brand-new day
Your touch and what it does to me, like a flower needs its rain
We are like one of a kind, true love is hard to find
I can't go on another day
Just hear me when I say
I ask of you, would you love me, if nothing else went right?
And I ask of you, would you hold me, forever in your life?
And don't let me fall, 'cause I can only give my all
Here I am
I ask of you
I found the place where I belong, it's right here next to you
And nothing else matters now, with all we've been through
I can't go on, tryin' to deny just what I feel inside
But now before I let go, you gotta let me know
I ask of you, would you love me, if nothing else went right?
I ask of you, would you hold me, forever in your life?
Don't let me fall, 'cause I can only give my all
Here I am
I ask of you
Yes I do
I ask of you
oooh oh
I never really thought
(I never really thought)
That you'd be all to me
(Tthat you'd be all that really matters to me)
I'd give everything and all I am to you
Oh baby, baby, I know you feel this way too
I ask of you, would you love me, if nothing else went right?
And I ask of you, would you hold me, forever in your life?
And don't let me fall, 'cause I can only give my all
I can't pretend
I ask of you
I ask of you
I ask of you
07 Wishing Well (03:58)
I wish you well
Oh, Yeah
Oh, Yeah
What do you think of me?
And who do you want me to be?
Not gonna let my history
Pull me down and hold me back, ya see
I've learned to live my life
One minute at a time
Sometimes the things you lose
Are exactly what you will find
(Dreams unfold and you cast a spell)
Everybody shines in the wishing well
Yeah yeah yeah
Close your eyes and you will see
Everybody's free in the wishing well
(Yeah yeah yeah yeah)
Wishing well
Why do you try to hide
Behind the truth that your heart denies?
The answer lies so deep inside
Baby spread your wings, it's time to fly
Gotta learn to live your life
One minute at a time
Sometimes the road you choose
Has the highest hills to climb
(Dreams unfold and you cast a spell)
Everybody shines in the wishing well
Yeah yeah yeah
Close your eyes and you will see
Everybody's free in the wishing well
(Yeah yeah yeah yeah)
(Dreams unfold and you cast a spell)
Everybody shines in the wishing well
(Yeah)
Close your eyes and you will see
Everybody's free in the wishing well
(Yeah yeah yeah yeah)
Wishing well
Oh, Yeah
Whooo, Oh
Oh wishing well
(Dreams unfold and you cast a spell)
Everybody shines in the wishing well
Yeah yeah yeah
Close your eyes and you will see
Everybody's free in the wishing well
(Yeah yeah yeah yeah)
(Dreams unfold and you cast a spell)
Everybody shines in the wishing well
Yeah
Close your eyes and you will see
Everybody's free in the wishing well
(Yeah yeah yeah yeah)
(Dreams unfold and you cast a spell)
Everybody shines in the wishing well
Yeah
Close your eyes and you will see
Everybody's free in the wishing well
(Yeah yeah yeah yeah)
08 Made for Lovin' You (03:36)
Baby I've been waiting for some time
To find a way to free your mind, yeah
It's the simple things you do to me
That makes my heart forget to beat, yeah yeah
But I ain't here to try to play your fool, no no
I won't ever beg for you
But heaven blessed the day you find
What you've been looking for
Well, my baby you'd better know
How I wanna take you higher
Don't keep me waiting on the outside love
Can't stop it if you wanted to
'Cause I was made for lovin you, yeah yeah
I guess I thought it was a dream
Locked up in a mystery
Can't guess on what was meant to be
My soul just keeps on telling me, yeah yeah
'Cause I can't take this for another day
I've thought of us a hundred different ways
And I'd do anything for you
'Cause you were made for lovin me
And me for lovin you.
How I wanna take you higher
Don't keep me waiting on the outside love
Can't stop it if you wanted to
'Cause I was made for lovin you, yeah yeah
How I wanna take you higher (I wanna take you higher)
Don't keep me waiting on the outside love
Can't stop it if you wanted to
'Cause I was made for lovin you, yeah
It's time that you let me know baby
I ain't gonna wait
I ain't gonna play your games
Can't face another day
There's nothing left for me to say
Oh yeah, whoa, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
How I wanna take you higher
Don't keep me waiting on the outside love
Can't stop it if you wanted to
'Cause I was made for lovin you, baby c'mon
How I wanna take you higher
Don't keep me waiting on the outside love
Can't stop it if you wanted to
'Cause I was made for lovin you, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
How I wanna take you higher
Don't keep me waiting on the outside love
Can't stop it if you wanted to ('cause 'cause 'cause)
'Cause I was made for lovin you
09 Black Roses (03:37)
Whoa, hah
Yeah
Aha
Tell you a story of a love I left behind
It was a broken fairy tale
I gave up all my pride
Let love inside
But tore me all apart when you played with my heart
Let me paint a picture of a cold and rainy night
As the candles fade to black
I played our favorite song
'Til the needle was gone
I've taken all I can,
You've played your last hand
Black roses and a bottle of wine
Those were the only things that I left behind
Keep searching 'cause it's so hard to find
All you got are the tears that you cry
Black roses and wine
Oh yeah
Sorry situation when your castle's made of sand
And it washes out to sea
I pushed your love aside
Cried my last cry
My soul is in bloom
Like flowers in June
Black roses and a bottle of wine
Those were the only things that I left behind
Just keep on searching 'cause it's so hard to find
All you got are the tears that you cry
Black roses and wine
Black roses and a bottle of wine (and a bottle of wine)
Those were the only things that I left behind
Keep searching 'cause it's so hard to find ('cause it's so hard to find)
All you got are the tears that you cry
Black roses and wine (black roses and wine)
You don't miss your water 'til your well runs dry
You don't miss your good thing, 'til it passes you by (passes you by)
Like a bird in the sky, spread your wings and fly
Oh yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
Black roses and a bottle of wine
Those were the only things that I left behind
C'mon keep searching 'cause it's so hard to find
All you got are the tears that you cry
Black roses and wine
10 Yo Trippin' (03:35)
Whoa
Heya
All this time this life
Is a rhythm without a rhyme
'Cause it makes me feel, uh
I'm like a train withou a wheel, whoa
You got me down, so low
I gotta reach up, to touch the ground, ah
But - I'm alright
I won't give up without a fight
If you don't want to realize
That I would never compromise my
Integrity or my right to be free
There's nothing left for me to say
'Cause
Yo trippin'
There ain't nothing wrong
With the way I sing my song
Yo trippin'
Fire make me feel
Like my feelings stay so real
Yo trippin'
There ain't nothing wrong
With the way I sing my song
Hey, whoa
Yo trippin'
Why you feel (why you feel, why you feel)
That to be cruel
Is to be real, yeah
Honesty (honesty, yeah, honesty)
Is how I live
But you refuse to see that
You'll never wind the game of life
Ask why
You live in scene
From tellin' all those lies
Can't live in peace
Your hart wont let me free
There's nothing left for me to say, yeah
Yo trippin'
There ain't nothing wrong
With the way I sing my song
Yo trippin'
Fire make me feel
Like my feelings stay so real
Yo trippin'
There ain't nothing wrong
With the way I sing my song
Whoa
Yo trippin'
Yeha
Why you always trinppin' on me
Yo trippin'
There ain't nothing wrong
With the way I sing my song
Yo trippin'
Fire make me feel
Like my feelings stay so real
Yo trippin'
There ain't nothing wrong
With the way I sing my song
Baby why you always
Trippin baby
Yo trippin'
There ain't nothing wrong
With the way I sing my song
Yo trippin'
Fire make me feel
Like my feelings stay so real
Yo trippin'
There ain't nothing wrong
With the way I sing my song
Whoa
Yo trippin'
12 Same Old Story (05:32)
Yeah
Turn around take a look at my life
I'm a lot like you are
Try to hide from yesterday
Still the pain never went away
Could it be, history
All the time just repeatin' on me?
Thought that I could break the chains,
The tears and pain, but here I go again
Over and over
On and on
Keep on singing that same old song you know
Is that the way the story goes?
(Same old story)
Hey
(Over and over)
Round and round
This world keeps turing me inside out you know
Is that the way the story goes?
(Same old story)
C'mon
Turn around take a look at your life
Thinkin that you're living right
Judging only on what you see
Just reflections of your misery
All the shame, from all the names
Build the walls when we're all the same
You think you got an alibi, but it's a lie
Don't even try
Over and over
On and on
Keep on singing that same old song you know
Is that the way the story goes?
(Same old story)
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
(Over and over)
Round and round
This world keeps turing me inside out you know
Is that the way the story goes?
(Same old story)
And you don't know baby
How you're gonna survive
In these troubled times
But if you seek than you shall find
Yeah
I say
Sing it with me y'all
Over and over
On and on
Keep on singing that same old song you know
Is that the way the story goes?
(Same old story)
Yeah
(Over and over)
Round and round
This world keeps turing me inside out you know
Is that the way the story goes?
(Same old story)
No no
Over and over
On and on
Keep on singing that same old song you know
Is that the way the story goes?
(Same old story)
Yeah
(Over and over)
Round and round
This world keeps turing me inside out you know
Is that the way the story goes?
(Same old story)
Over and over
On and on
Keep on singing that same old song you know
Didn't you know I'm not that kind?
(Same old story)
Yeah
(Over and over)
Round and round
This world keeps turing me inside out you know
Is that the way the story goes?
(Same old story)
No no no no no no
Over and over
On and on
Keep on singing that same old song you know
Is that the way the story goes?
(Same old story)
Yeah
(Over and over)
Round and round
This world keeps turing me inside out you know
Is that the way, oh, the story goes?
(Same old story)
Over and over
On and on
Keep on singing that same old song you know
Is that the way the story goes?
(Same old story)
Yeah
(Over and over)
Round and round
This world keeps turing me inside out you know
Is that the way the story goes?
(Same old story)
Na na na
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