30 January 2007

Jamie T: The Once-Through Review

Some observations on the Jamie T album, based on hearing it once:

  • T clearly knows his way around a chorus.
  • He’s also very good at putting bits in his songs that weren’t there before and which come therefore as huge surprises (what we’re primarily “getting at” here is the first time you hear the ‘Salvador’ chorus, and what the bassline does during the chorus of ‘So Lonely Was The Ballad’, although there are literally dozens of examples of unexpected things happening on this record)
  • During the bits when Jamie sings as though his mouth is full of his own broken teeth, you want to do nothing more than knock said teeth right out and make him swallow all that spit.
  • Putting audio clips at the end of the songs, to make it seem like a mixtape and stop people skipping left, right and centre, hasn’t really worked. This is because someone has made sure all the songs (especially the singles) have lovely clean intros so you can skip straight to them without it sounding stupid.
  • Thanks to whoever did that.
  • On the subject of the sound clips, Jamie T’s friends are a bit posh aren’t they?
  • And ‘ZANY‘!!!!
  • Some of the songs could have done with a bit more work doing on them, to bring them up to the level of the ones that are really amazing. FYI, T, if something is “the scrappiest version I’ve ever done”, you re-do it until it’s the best version you’ve ever done, who do you think you are, Babyshambles or something? (Mick Jones has a lot to answer for, etc. etc.).
  • The drum and bass is a bit unexpected, although inevitable when you look again at the ending to ’If You Got The Money’.
  • Sheila, Sheila, Sheila, Sheila.
  • Very good album, Jamie T, well done. And that sound clip where you diss the cyclist; that’s very funny. Definitely worth at least a 7 on the first listen (although it sounds like one of those albums where that could rise by another couple). Hurrah! x

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