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Elly Roberts reviews
14th Floor
- Cat.no: 5101132862
- Released: April 2006
- Rating: 6/10
Monday June 12, Nerina Pallots debut single Everybodys Gone To War slips from 15 to 23, though the download moves up six places to 12. This album dropped from 21 to 27.
Having bought her first guitar at the age of 11, Jersey girl Nerina fell inlove with Michael Jacksons Thriller then moved on to Bon Jovi,Carole King and Simon and Garfunkel. She later learnt violin and sang someopera at a boarding school. Eventually, she ended up in a London artcollege, but opted to go back to study music.
Shes listened to many sources of music including her mothers collection,so now comes her chance to impress us with her multi-disciplined skills.The single is a vibrant and unlikely summer anthem, considering the gloomylyrics. After that, we get a fair spattering of her actual compositionalskills, which range from very good to average.
Top of the crop is a biographical reference to a man she worked with inthe music industry, Mr. King – something that McCartney would writeon his acoustic guitar. A rockier All Good People has a more upbeatfeel with do do do dos aplenty, synths, guitars, and a catchy hook,making it a potential next single, as would Learning To Breathe.
Sophia, a song she wrote at university, has a definite Carole Kingfeel about it, driven by some delightful piano work and soulful singing.Power-ballad Heart Attack rises and falls with equal class, heldtogether with rippling sticks, and Idaho, which she hears “is mightypretty” is a bit of an epic, assisted by swirling strings.An ubiquitous-sounding Half Way Home, a la Alanis Morissette, isclearly aimed at the states with “a quarter in my pocket”, though it doesfeature some of her best singing.
Others drag on a bit like Geek Love, Damascus, and five-minute-pluscloser Nickindia, ramble endlessly.
Its a very good album: there are some beautiful moments, but not enoughto make it a classic. Maybe her time will come.
Weblinks:Nerina Pallot.com /14 Floor Records.com
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Everybodys Gone To War
2. Halfway Home
3. Damascus
4. Idaho
5. Learning To Breathe
6. Mr. King
7. Geek Love
8. Sophia
9. All Good People
10. Heart Attack
11. Nickindia
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.