Posted March 26, 2013
By STEPHANIE PARRA
Kate Nash, British pop sensation from the mid 2000s, proved she’s making a strong comeback with her latest album.
And, her third album, “Girl Talk,” may just be one of her best, perhaps second only to the album she released in 2007, “Made of Bricks.”
Her silky smooth voice transcends some of her tracks’ lyrics; her sound appeal is the same as always. Her albums may appeal to those who like to listen to Regina Spektor and similarly sounding artists, and her songs are similar to those available in her first two albums.
Nash, an English singer, songwriter and musician, has amassed quite a number of impressive accolades throughout her seven-year career. “Made of Bricks” became a platinum-selling album in the UK. In 2008, she was named the best female artist at the BRIT Awards.
In her latest album, the topics of her tracks are just what the album name suggests: It’s all about “girl talk” and the problems young women of the generation face. From heartbreak to insomnia, the 24-year-old artist covers all of it in her album; at times doing so by meshing classical music and alternative pop lyrics with her British accent.
Though many of her tracks represent the old Kate Nash – they’re fun, quick and easy to follow, Nash weaves some new-sounding tunes into her album seamlessly.
The explicit “Rap for Rejection,” represents anger; she belts out her furious feelings in her quick-sounding beat. She even curses a couple of times, which labels the track as “explicit” on the album.
The next track on the album, though, titled “3AM” takes us back to Nash’s old ways. It’s fun, catchy, hopeful and comical, all rolled up and mixed into one track.
The next track is perhaps another tune that strays from typical Nash; it’s ironically titled “Conventional Girl,” and she weaves some explicit words in there, too. “OMYGOD!,” the sixth track in the album, may just be the catchiest tune in the album. She belts out the lyrics of that song with passion and longing for a lost love.
The song’s subject deals with missing someone who is no longer hers; her intense lyrics make the artist’s pain tangible. The song’s subject is one that many 20-something-year-olds can identify with, and she sings the track in a way someone with a broken heart might want to sing along. She sings angrily with a broken heart, but it works for her. Nash draws you in with her obsessive intensity; her strange sounds and aggressive tunes at times accompanied by orchestral suites are enough to draw in those who admire British pop music.
Nash’s album deals with feminism, and most of her tracks are catchy enough to secure her a spot far away from mainstream beats. Granted, Nash may not be the next Lilly Allen, but she surely sounds much like Spektor, and that’s good enough for those who enjoy listening to obscure British pop music.
Nash is back.
- Artist name: Kate Nash
- Featured artists: Siobhan Malhotra
- Album name: “Girl Talk”
- Release date: March 5, 2013
- Genre: Pop/indie pop
- Label: Fontana Records
- Album duration: 52:29
- Price: $11.99 on iTunes