This Is The Life
Amy Macdonald
This Is The Life
(Universal Music)
By Cheryl Leong
Choice Cut : Run, Let's Start A Band, Barrowland Ballroom
Official website: http://www.amymacdonald.co.uk/
Oft-touted as the next KT Tunstall, Amy Macdonald has many faces. She is acerbic and biting, enthusiastic and inspiring, melancholy and mournful. Which explains why her debut record is such a dynamic, punchy stand-out. Boasting simple melodies accompanied by a medley of instruments, This Is The Life is Macdonald's own brand of feisty, articulate folk-rock, plastered with a strong, resonant Glasgow brogue.
With an infectious jaunt, This Is The Life kicks off with "Mr. Rock & Roll," a bouncy, feet-tapping number that incorporates a harmonious blend of guitars and orchestra. The title track is rich folk-edged rock, punctuated by sharp zings of guitar. "Poison Prince" is a dark but lively call to Pete Doherty to get his act together, and "Youth of Today" is a semi-cheeky address towards grown-ups. The light, ethereal "Run" is evocative and heartbreaking, with Macdonald's vocals bursting through the chorus.
"Let's Start A Band" is a melodious, atmospheric ode to The Libertines (one of Macdonald's heroes) - blossoming into a powerful, trumpet-laden breathless end. An animated, magical joyride, "Barrowland Ballroom" is sprinkled liberally with honky-tonk piano, happy drums and tooting brass. Jake Gyllenhal fans can identify with "L.A.," Macdonald's song about the actor, while "A Wish For Something More" showcases her vocal range perfectly. Gloomy strings and minor keys conspire to lambaste a culture of fluffy autobiographies (Colleen Rooney's, among others) in the haunting album-closer "Footballer's Wife."
Amy Macdonald's got an old voice atop her young 21-year-old shoulders. It may be startling at first, but it quickly settles into something comfortable and well-controlled - travelling from dreamy lilts to cutting twang. Her lyrics are straightforward and honest, with enough awareness to know that life isn't a bed of roses, but not so bleak as to be sneeringly blasé. Although some might find her self-assuredness bordering on cockiness (especially in the moralizing "Poison Prince" and "Footballer's Wife") Macdonald is simply unafraid to tell it like it is.
Following in this formula, it should be effortless falling in love with Amy Macdonald.
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