Dido
No Angel

THE REVIEW

"No Angel", released in 1999 (even though the first videos appeared in Italy in early 2001), is the recording debut of Dido Armstrong (sister of Faithless producer, Rollo Armstrong).

It is her first solo experience, but she is not new to the music scene, as she began her career as a backing vocalist for the first two Faithless albums, collaborating in both their song creation and accompanying the band on tour.

In the album, composed of twelve tracks, electronica prevails, supported by the singer's splendid voice.

The album opens with her first single, "Here With Me", which, aside from its significant success with the related video on Italian music channels, is also known for being the theme song for the TV series Roswell. Excellent musical balances in this piece, which I personally always enjoy re-listening to.
"Hunter", the beautiful third single from the album, is characterized by its marvelous melody produced by the guitar that accompanies the singer's voice throughout the track.
"Don't Think Of Me" differs from the previous ones as it has a brighter atmosphere and a more upbeat rhythm; it's greatly supported by bass and guitar.
"My Lover's Gone" references Faithless, as the first verse sung by Dido is the same as in the song "Postcard" contained in the "Sunday 8 P.M." album of the aforementioned group. It's a slow song where a melancholic singing is noted, which develops progressively towards the end.
"All You Want" is a track with characteristics more or less similar to "Don't Think Of Me".
The sixth track is the second single "Thank You", known for being the soundtrack of the film "Sliding Doors" and for being sampled by Eminem some months earlier for his "Stan", undoubtedly one of his most beautiful and successful pieces. Supported magnificently by piano and percussion, it is very pleasant to listen to and quite different from the previous tracks.
Quite different from the others is also "Honestly O.K.", predominantly electronic, introduced by keyboards and drums; Dido's calm singing alternates with magnificent choruses in the refrains that highlight the piece.
This is followed by "Slide", characterized by a nice text and a more fluid rhythm compared to the previous ones, and "Isobel", another undoubtedly pleasant song interpreted with her sweet and melancholic voice.
The tenth, "I'm No Angel", also developed on an accompaniment produced by percussion and not very different from the other songs, is the common thread for the eleventh track, in my opinion, the true masterpiece of the album, "My Life".
The latter is a slow and melancholic ballad, fantastically accompanied by the well-marked rhythm of the drums and the wonderful notes of the piano. It has a beautiful text and is quite engaging.
The work closes with "Take My Hand", another good piece developed with a smooth progression and a beautiful text.

Substantially, a very good debut album, which I personally appreciated much more than the subsequent "Life For Rent", which, although a good album, I feel fell a bit short of expectations.