•
Rating:
WHEN YOU SAY "MELANCHOLY".
"Eden". Synonym for paradise? Oasis of pleasure? Fresh air? Warm breeze?
No, simply Eden. Probably the place Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt, the heart and brain of Everything But The Girl, imagined themselves to be while recording this album, their debut work. A place where they thought to blend various genres into the same cauldron: pop, soul, a touch of jazz, African percussion, even almost Brazilian experiments, resulting in songs that Antonio Carlos Jobim, or Gilberto Gil, or even Caetano Veloso would have enjoyed. The recipe for a perfect stew called "Eden".
Vocally speaking, Thorn has nothing to envy to a Skye (Morcheeba), a Roisin Murphy (Moloko), or a Beth Gibbons (Portishead). Listen to "Each And Everyone" (the launch single at the time) to believe it. And even Watt (guitarist), when he can ("Tender Blue", the final acoustic "Soft Touch") proves to be not only a fine singer but also someone who knows exactly what it means to use a Hammond organ at the right moment ("Another Bridge"). The entire album is driven by their voices, except for the excellent virtuosity of "Crabwalk", where they can take a refreshing breath allowing space only for the music.
Perhaps this album, in the way it sounds, is truly an illusion, that something nostalgic that halts the listener's words, only to suddenly strike the heart, dragging the latter into a sea of melodies sometimes sad, sometimes joyful. If it were, it would be an illusion not lasting a second, but 33 minutes. Minutes that are unforgettable and important. Yes, because those minutes also mark the beginning of an evolutionary journey for Tracey and Ben. A journey where after will come desires for love and not money, attempts to explain the language of life, the analysis of amplified hearts, the walks of the wounded, to then decide to "temper" their mind and close a circle which who knows when it will be reopened.
A journey where everything is explored, except "the girl".
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Each and Every One (02:49)
If you ever feel the time to drop me a loving line
maybe you should just think twice
I don't wait around on your advice
You tell me I can go this far, but no more
Try to show me heaven and then slam the door
You offer shelter at a price much too dear
And your kind of love's the kind that soon disappears
So don't brag how you have changed
And everything's been rearranged
I thought all that was over and done
But I still get the same from Each and Everyone
Being kind is just a way to keep me under your thumb
and I can't cry because that's something we've always done
you tell me I'm free of the past now and all those lies
then offer me the same thing in a different guise
02 Bittersweet (02:49)
don't talk to me in that familiar way
when the keys are in my hand
don't say that everything is here to stay
and I must try to understand
when I'm trying not to look into your eyes
trying not to listen to your lies
trying just to keep hold of myself
oh but it's hard when you leave me on the shelf
you say that I set a path for you to follow
and I've already given in
but I only meant for you to taste not swallow
where I end is where you must begibn
so try not to look into their eyes
try not to listen to their lies
try just to keep hold of yourself
oh I know it's hard when they leave you on their shelf
she's such a sweet girl
free of the taints of this world
think that's a compliment
don't be so full of sentiment
why you worship sweetness
what virtue's there in weakness
being pushed about is nothing much to shout about I know
03 Tender Blue (03:05)
and still he lies awake at night
restless while every silence screams
and still she sleep turned to the wall
he fears the onslaught of his dream
touches her back but she doesn't stir
then round her hand his finger close
feeling the ring that cost more than the car
all of those questions that never arose
and still she lies awake at night
silently stares at the bedroom wall
feeling his hand dare to touch her back
it's been a month since ha started to paint the hall
and brightly burns the landing light
the baby's screaming down the hall
she shuts her eyes and she shuts her ears
she's had up to here because it's not his baby after all
04 Another Bridge (02:12)
Your words stung me to the heart
I hadn't even noticed how far we had drifted apart
can I still count you as a friend
or have I done to much now to ever make amends
cause I once needed just an open mind
well that's no reason why I now should leave you behind
A word from out of the blue
reminds me how much I once needed you
oh but that's all in the past now
so much that I can scarcely remember how
I once needed just a hand to hold
cause now the few times we meet
all I sense is a love grown cold
you can't hold on to everything
and I've forgotten what we talked about a long time since
can't recall days with regret
tomorrow remember today
and all the rest forget
cause time's gone by and all the things we did
are now so much water under another bridge
08 Even So (02:32)
if I say I'll always stay by your side
stupid things say some night
can you tell me I am wrong till I cry
tell me do you have the right
if I say that seas could never sweep me
overboard and far away
do you still say you wouldn't try to keep me
if I lost the will to stay
you won't promise this will last much longer
than the time it takes to stay
you excuse is that my heart's much stronger
and some of you love has been drained away
I can't bear it when the tears fill your eyes
And I've said too much once more
don't be angry now you must realise
my only fear's of losing something I adore
10 Fascination (03:19)
I won't try to stop you
When you speak of the past
Doubt is over now
And I can join in when you laugh
Facination makes us ask for more
Than we'd like to know
I needn't explain
I think you know
Reaassure me when my hearts
Not bold enough to bear her name
If you were in my shoes
And scared I would do the same
And though I may ask
There's no need for past details
Although I may laugh alone
My courage fails
Did you know
See how I've changed now
My heads so clear
Still there are some things
That I don't want to hear
There must be so much I know
That you cannot forget
And I mustn't wish your life began
The day we met
They say as we go remind you
Of when you were here before
So you talk and tell me
You don't think about it anymore
There is something I know
Hasn't quite been left behind
So I'll ask you once again
To prove that I don't mind
To prove that I don't mind
11 I Must Confess (03:11)
You kissed my head as you stood in the door
And then you said: "don't want to see you no more"
All I could say as you walked out on me
Was how I hoped you'd remembered your key
Took one last look
Took the phone of the hook
I must confess I agree
All o those days when I went through a phase
Of missing the love that you bore
In retrospect there's something I can't neglect
I was missing a love but not yours
The love that you bore that thing that I once adored
Was no gift that you gave me each time
Thinking again, what a fool I was then
It was a trophy of yours and a burden of mine
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By Tucidide
An album like a two-faced medal: one side is Tracey Thorn’s voice, the other is Ben Watt’s music.
The voice of a lover softly whispering to you in the post-orgasmic serenity.
