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 Dido No Angel (2000) Rating (Out of 10): 7.5 Tracklisting: Here With Me/Hunter/Don't Think Of Me/My Lover's Gone/All You Want/Thankyou/Honestly Ok/Slide/Isobel/I'm No Angel/My Life Arguably, the best way to tell a good album from a bad one is how well it stands the test of time. If, ten years after its release, an album still sounds as contemporary as it did when it first came out, then you know you've got a classic on your hands. Unfortunately, No Angel doesn't fit into that category as less than three years after its release it already sounds boring and a bit bland. But thats not necessarily Didos fault. No Angel is a great album, and Dido is very, very talented indeed. But maybe the problem lies in the very fact of the albums greatness and the fact that it was played so much that it would have been impossible not to grow tired of it. After being discovered by Eminem who used a sample of her voice in his track Stan, the nation took Dido to their hearts, and in no time at all, she was everywhere. Tracks such as Thankyou, Here With Me and Hunter really tapped into the culture of the time and were played and played without end. You literally couldnt turn on the TV without hearing her even in the background of programmes like Eastenders and Hollyoaks. The majority of the tracks on No Angel are simple, straightforward and understated with simple lyrics, and accompaniment, allowing her vocals to take the fore. And what vocals they are. Her voice sounds so pure and fragile, as if it could break at any moment, yet with an edge to it; carrying so much emotion, pulling you away from reality for a second and sucking you into her world. The opening song Here With Me is probably the most famous Dido track as it was used as the theme tune for American TV series Roswell High, and it provides such a good opening to the album. Strong, and emotional with obsessive lyrics, and a good strong melody, it gets the album off to a really good start. Hunter is probably my favourite track on the album. It is a very simple track with just an acoustic guitar and drum machine as accompaniment, allowing her vocals take the fore, and the whole thing has a bit of a strong, feminist anthem quality about it. My Lovers Gone stands out as having a completely different feel to the rest of the album. Bare and sultry, it has the feel of a traditional Irish folk song, stripped of the programming and drum machines of most of the other tracks, it really adds maturity and sincerity to the album. There's no denying that Dido is an incredibly talented individual with one of THE most beautiful, unadulterated voices in the music industry; and with the ability to write simple, yet moving pop songs. And there's also no denying that No Angel contains great, well written tracks that proved to be exceedingly popular at the time. But for various reasons, No Angel has become tired and overplayed, but maybe thats the best compliment an album could receive! Send A Comment BACK TO INDEX BACK TO MUSIC REVIEWS INDEX |