Sophie and the Cold Front Coldplay

Spent a good part of yesterday and today listening to Sophie B. Hawkins and Coldplay. Sophie's album, Whaler, is the most unapologeticly romantic CD I have ever heard and lyrics, tone and voice scream lust and love and all good and a few bad things that fall in between. I love the record - even the one or two misses. Imagine, one of the weaker songs has lines stating:

Try to run free of me
Crawl on your knees for me
Why are you so afraid
To lose what's not yours to save
To savour the sweetest taste for free

Any man with a healthy sense of deviancy has to drawn to Sophie's commitment and zeal and determination. And she has amazing hair and look at her beach cottage. It is no crappy pretenntious Madonna mansion and it sits on paradise. Oh, Sophie - you are endearing.

I understand you took your records away from Sony and are selling them on your own label.

Whaler is simply amazing. A "desert island disc" destined for heavy use in my iPod love song play lists.

Coldplay is incredibly smooth. The musicianship, particularly the guitarist, and the song crafting is excellent. They should give a nod of their heads to U2 and a wink to the Beatles, but they mined gold there and cooled it to match their artistic sensibilities. The lyrics are sung deadpan. There are seldom vocal harmonies. So, to me, it is almost like listening to my conscience or an inner peaceful voice. This tone and the subtle breaks in the lead vocals are in sharp contrast to the lyrics which often are quite moving and committed. "Fix it" on the new CD is a perfectly crafted song. And it is sung with incredible detachment, excecpt at the end where harmonies finally combine with instrumentation to exult. I am enjoying them but I fear they may become a one trick pony. But, all three albums I have heard are memorable.

No pics of Coldplay here, maybe I should post one of Ms. Paltrow.



P.S. I would chose an afternoon with Sophie, on her beach or painting next to her with acrylics, anytime.