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Rating: Majestic, theatrical, and sparkling: three adjectives that perfectly encapsulate the essence of "Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?", the 2009 debut of British artist Paloma Faith. Released after years spent singing in various jazz clubs and working in the entertainment world as a dancer and actress, these experiences emerge in every single note of this pop-soul gem, contributing to provide both the album and its author with a well-defined and unique artistic-musical identity. Because if it's true that the lead single and opening track "Stone Cold Sober," with its brass riff and pounding chorus, inevitably pays tribute to the old school revival trend that was dominating popular music at the time, already with the following track "Smoke and Mirrors" the game changes, transforming what could have seemed like the bland record of yet another Amy Winehouse clone into an elegant theatrical piece with smoky, refined, and extremely varied atmospheres.
Like in a kind of strange and eccentric musical, Paloma, with her childlike and playful voice that inevitably recalls Cyndi Lauper, takes us through fast and gripping moments (the aforementioned "Stone Cold Sober" and "Smoke and Mirrors," the latter built on an effective mix of cinematic strings and electric guitars) and intimate and subdued ballads ("New York," embellished in the finale by the contribution of the Souls of Prophecy Gospel Choir of London, and "Stargazer," which, among other things, seems to be particularly appreciated by Prince), only to suddenly return to decidedly lighthearted atmospheres ("Upside Down," "Romance is Dead"). However, where this debut truly leaves its mark is in the tracks where Paloma lets her theatricality emerge like a flood, sometimes exaggerated, but never gaudy or pointless: the result is highly successful concentrations of pathos ready to explode in the triumph of strings and brass in the beautiful title track or in the majestic and overwhelming crescendo of "My Legs Are Weak" and, above all, the concluding "Play On," the absolute gem of the album, a track capable of sweeping away the entire discography of much more famous and acclaimed peers. Faith's artistic imprint also extends to her image, which pairs well with her musical offering, combining extravagant looks with an unpretentious, genuine style. Indeed, she often tends to be intelligently self-ironic (the ending of the "Smoke and Mirrors" video, in which a heartbroken Paloma amusingly saws her boyfriend in half during a magic show, is hilarious in this regard).
In conclusion, "Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?" is a delightful pop-soul gem from one of the most pleasant revelations from the land of Albion, an intelligent artist capable of combining elegance and spontaneity, producing music of a certain level, and endowed with charisma, great vocal skills, and that pinch of extravagance and eccentricity that makes her an interesting figure to follow, something increasingly rare, especially nowadays, in the pop scene.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Stone Cold Sober (02:56)
I´ll be the late night lady you won´t recognize
I'm a chameleon I´m always in disguise
I'd read your future but it´s written in the past
Take a good look might be your last
Don't try to show me
Cause you don´t know me
Stay away!!
I can be wider than the wind
119 miles an hour
I'm in a whole other dimension
Dancing doubles on the floor
You think I'm crazy, a little bit hazy
But I'm stone cold sober
You´re telling me something
But there's nothing cheap as words
I'm walking away before I do I flip the bird
Excuse me MR I´ve got other things to do
Than to stand here listening to you
Stop talking at my face
Take a rocket out to space and...
Stay away!!
I can be wider than the wind
119 miles an hour
I'm in a whole other dimension
Dancing doubles on the floor
You think I'm crazy, a little bit hazy
But I´m stone cold...
I can be wider than the wind
119 miles an hour
I'm in a whole other dimension
Dancing doubles on the floor
You think I'm crazy, a little bit hazy
But I´m stone cold sober
In the madness of the storm
I'm the one to carry on
I don´t need no medicine
If you're looking for a cure
Don´t be knocking at my door
I'll never let you in
Take a rocket out to space
And stay out of my place
I can be wider than the wind
119 miles an hour
I'm in a whole other dimension
Dancing doubles on the floor
You think I'm crazy, a little bit hazy
But I'm stone cold.. .
I can be wider than the wind
119 miles an hour
I'm in a whole other dimension
Dancing doubles on the floor
You think I'm crazy, a little bit hazy
But I'm stone cold sober
07 New York (03:44)
The days were long and the nights so cold
The pages turn and the tale unfolds
He left me for another lady
She stood so tall and she never slept
The was not one moment he could regret
He left me for another lady
He took my hand one day and told me
He was leaving
Me disbelieving
And I I I I I I I I
Had to let him go
And it was New York, New York
And she took his heart away oh my
And it was New York, New York
She had poisoned his sweet mind
Mmmm
The wolves they howled for my lost soul
I fell down a deep black hole
He left me for another lady
She poured the drinks and she poured the power
Diamond girl who could talk for hours
He left me for another lady
Now I am on my own
He told me he was leaving
And I was pleading
And I I I I I I I I
Had to let him go
And it was New York, New York
And she took his heart away oh my
And it was New York, New York
She had poisoned his sweet mind
The greatest times
I don't want to hear it
Your new laughter lines
I don't want to hear it
The new found friends she introduced you to
I don't wanna know them I just want to be with you
Please do't make me go to
New York
New York
And she took your heart away oh my
And it was New York, New York
She poisoned your sweet mind
And it was New York, New York
And she took your heart away oh my
And it was New York, New York
She poisoned your sweet mind
She poisoned your sweet mind
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