Sarah Cracknell
Lipslide

Who knows why she never really tried, she had all the intelligence, possibilities, talent, and the right connections to build a solid solo career. Now that the time gaps between one album and another by Saint Etienne have significantly widened, the prospect would seem even more enticing, but apparently, Sarah doesn’t agree with me. This "Lipslide" from 1997 was her first and, to date, only album under her name; almost a divertissement one might think, yet significantly superior to all of Saint Etienne's production from 1996 to 2002. Here, a brief overview of what SE were post-Tiger Bay is necessary; ups and downs, perhaps more downs than ups. After the insipid "Good Humor" (the nadir of their career), “Sound Of Water” and “Finisterre” followed with trip-hop tendencies, ambient and experimental, some great songs and confused ideas, little overall effectiveness. In short, a band that after the masterpiece of '94 spent a decade in the background, struggling to find an optimal form and giving the clear impression of proceeding by attempts; of the three, the most inspired was indeed Sarah, and she proved it with an album that in some respects anticipates the artistic revival of Saint Etienne.

The most curious thing about “Lipslide” is undoubtedly an "anomalous," or to be clearer, nonsensical marketing strategy. There are no less than five different versions of this album: English, Scandinavian, Japanese, American (released in 2000), and finally this double CD deluxe from 2012, which brings some order to the diaspora of material from the four different tracklists, resulting de facto in a complete collection of her solo repertoire, almost a hypothetical "The Essential Sarah Cracknell" given the quality of the material proposed. Marketing mishaps aside, where it really counts, Sarah is always herself; graceful, brilliant, charismatic, light: light, especially light, her lightness is something absolutely natural, an innate characteristic as much as the slim and slender silhouette or that wonderful voice of pure silk. This XL version of "Lipslide" puts on display an inspired and eclectic artist, between impactful dancefloor "rides" and semi-acoustic, refined, and subtle tracks; many shades, the same class of a true Pop Lady. The first CD is the “standard” one, drawing from the four previously released tracklists to create an album as dynamic, direct, and immediate as possible: here are songs that almost seem drawn from that "Words And Music" fifteen years later, the dance apotheosis of Saint Etienne; "Taking Off For France", "Desert Baby", "Coastal Town", which reprise the excellent idea of combining refined melodies and arrangements with simple and energetic beats, almost Eurodance style, or "If You Leave Me", which winks at old-style Disco. But "Lipslide" isn’t just a dance trip, there are different sounds and emotional shades; "Goldie", experimenting with a muffled and relaxing soul/trip-hop, the bossanova suggestions of "Anymore", electronic midtempos of great elegance and appeal, like "Taxi" and "How Far", where one can feel the influence of groups like Morcheeba at the level of sound and atmospheres, the melodic crescendo of Ready Or Not" and "Can't Stop Now", wonderful ballads with lounge-jazzy nuances. Overall a beautiful album, spontaneous and inspired, very ‘90s, indeed, I’d say the best of '90s Pop in terms of sound; the absence of Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs, the compositional minds of Saint Etienne isn’t felt at all, perhaps also because it is balanced by the presence of many excellent producers, among which stand out two veteran synth-pop minds like Stephen Hague and Andy Wright.

Then there's also the second CD, which further expands an already rich and prestigious offer, alongside some occasional fillers there are many other gems, including a beautiful “unplugged” demo of Ready Or Not", which further amplifies the intimate and caressing beauty of the song, "Judy, Don't You Worry", another masterful piano-ballad, this time with more intense and bittersweet sounds and the alluring pop-lounge of "You Just Won Me Over". In general, there is much more room here for acoustic or otherwise more relaxed sounds, like in the case of "Sea Shells" with its captivating soul-folk, then "Fifth Floor", Summer Song", "You Just Won Me Over", "Open Your Eyes", "What Happens Next". With these songs, Sarah seems to embark on a journey to remote and distant islands, white tropical beaches, and turquoise seas; a much more imaginary journey than Kirsty MacColl’s, yet these semi-acoustic ballads, sometimes sweet and melancholic, others fresher and more relaxed, seem to reach towards these scenarios, toward a slowness and tranquility that certainly cannot belong to the frenzy of London.

I am left a bit puzzled by the absence of "Penthouse Girl, Basement Boy", an impeccable and captivating synth-techno performance; almost a "Pale Movie" 2.0 version, included in three of the four previous versions but inexplicably left out of this one, which should be the "definitive" one, the one that really counts, oh dear Sarah this is not a small oversight, to be marked with a blue pencil, but I forgive you, how could I do otherwise? In these songs, you’ve put all yourself, your charm, your elegance and sweetness, humor, and cheerfulness, it's impossible not to be conquered by such naturalness and sincerity, especially if combined with a wonderful voice and a crystal-clear talent like yours. Will you gift me another album like this one day? I somewhat hope so, maybe one day it will come, perhaps just for me...

Always yours, Danny.