Lyrics are important to me. Sometimes a song will have it all, great melody, great singing and playing, but the lyrics just aren’t there.
Case in point is “Paris,” the opening track and lead single from Grace Potter And The Nocturnals’ eponymous CD.
The track rocks, it really does.
Grace is bluesy, steamy and sexy. I listened to this song for the first time, and I had to loosen my collar to let the steam out as the bluesy music and lyrics led up to a climax.
“If I was a man I'd make my move
If I was a blade I'd shave you smooth
If I was a judge I'd break the law”
And then you get to the chorus:
"If I was from Paris
I would say ooh la la la la la la la”
Letdown-all of the sizzle faded with that line.
Really? That’s the lyric? That's the best ya got?
Okay, so call me fussy. I just wish the song that broke GP was not so….DUMB.
But break her it did.
This lineup of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals are like a modern-day version of Tina Turner stroking the microphone in a spangled mini-dress while fronting the Rolling Stones circa Sticky Fingers.
The band's third album for Hollywood Records marks an artistic and commercial breakthrough for a vital young band. Titled, oddly enough, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, the band has crafted a truly great album, with tracks that rock like an earthquake.
Potter may be showing off her legs in a short skirt, but what you wear ain't the point.Not that her legs don’t look good, but don’t forget to leave room for music that is genuine, tight and has just enough grit. This album combines a sexy mixture of rock and soul and as long as you can get past that silly chorus, you’re going to like this album.
If you don’t, I’ll say “ooh la la la la la la la”
And that'll show ya!
PARIS
GOODBYE KISS (ACOUSTIC)
MEDICINE (LIVE)
PARIS (ACOUSTIC)
PARIS (LIVE)
I couldn't agree with you more about the significance of lyrics in a song. An old friend of mine once called me 'the lyrics queen.'
ReplyDeleteI'm wit' ya, Suze!
ReplyDeleteThere was an Eddie Murphy bit where he made fun of white folk dancing, and said "are you listening to the music or the lyrics?"
I was the one listening to the lyrics.
And while not all lyrics are high brow, some can be just plain dumb.
Like the line in "Paris."
Larry
I dance to the lyrics.
ReplyDeleteI celebrate and exult and boop-boop-de-doop to the lyrics. :)
Unless-- they're dumb. In which case, I find it hard to listen, at all.
In my opinion, "Paris" was Heart meets Madonna meets Foreigner meets everything I quit Rock and moved to Jazz for.
ReplyDelete"Goodbye Kiss" was... eh.
(OK, go already.)
"Medicine" was... great!
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
Well, Stephen, we can't all be Tiny Tims...
ReplyDeleteKidding. You should almost assume if you're reading about a group you never heard of, you won't like it. If I thought you would, you'd have heard about them by now.
I'm a little surprised you didn't think "Paris" started with promise-but it certainly fell apart for me at the first "ooh la la."
Doctor Disc