Baby's on fire!
Like a designated driver who's left with the onerous task of ferrying their friends home after a boozy night out, the task of reviewing Nerina Pallot's re-released second album "Fires" wasn't greeted with much fanfare or enthusiasm by this particular Room Thirteen scribe. Pallot for the uninitiated is the latest signing to 14th Floor Records, a label who have plucked talented singer-songwriters (David Gray, Damien Rice) from relative obscurity in the past before turning them into household names.
After getting your fingers burnt in the major label fire on a debut album that critically and commercially sank without trace you'd be forgiven by most if you decided to head for the hills and make music purely for your own personal pleasure. Nerina Pallot is made of sterner stuff though. She re-mortgaged her house and funded the completion of this record out of her own pocket scoring an iTunes Top 10 in the process. "Fires" is a gutsy record of adequate piano ballads (a la Tori Amos but with less bile) and largely inconsequential pop-rock. Despite the fact my CD player clearly despised it, skipping at every available opportunity and resolutely denying me the pleasure (?) of listening to "Nickindia" and "Mr King" (tracks five and six respectively) I found myself warming to this record inspite of my pre-conceptions.
Pallot's voice is simply exquisite throughout this record - a rich, honeyed, soulful croon – it gives her a distinctive edge over her younger rivals who need to flash the flesh to hide their musical inadequacies. There are some fine almost fragile cuts amongst the mediocre filler which you'd almost miss were you not paying close enough attention. Opener "Damascus" is obvious enough, a gorgeous folk-y gem that blends the textured arrangements of Aimee Mann circa "Whatever" with the world weary vocal delivery of early Sheryl Crow. Similarly impressive are the albums two most inventive numbers – the kooky but awfully titled "Geek Love" and the exotic Eastern influenced "Heart Attack". The undoubted standout track though is forthcoming single "Everybody's Gone To War" whose chugging guitars and sledgehammer pop rock hooks hide deceptively simple yet cutting lyrics about (you've guessed it!) the futility of war. It's the most uplifting anti-war song you're likely to hear all year and not once does it resort to crass political sloganeering. As you've probably guessed by now "Fires" is by no means the complete package. There's lots of dreary filler that veers terribly close to the middle of the road. The worst culprit without doubt is piano ballad "Sophia", this particular track would be dismissed as saccharine boy-band fodder were it not for Pallot's vocal exertions.
"Fires" will no doubt be a big hit with the Islington dinner party set but given a choice between Pallot and the frankly bland Dido's of this world I know who I'm routing for every time. Pallot wins hands down and scores another victory in the face of adversity.