It's no secret that in a short space of time, Elouise has become one of my very favourite singers. Her ability to anchor a tune and create a vivid story through her expressive vocals is almost unparalleled in the current music marketplace. I've been eagerly anticipating her debut album and it's now here - just in time to accompany the touring version of her increasingly popular Little Belter show. Let's dally no more with introductions and onward with the music shall we?
Little Belter the album brings together Elouise's collection of Stardust EPs, as well as rounding up some of her one off single releases. As an overall collection of tunes it's an impressive feat - Elouise and her team manage to weave love, heartbreak and tantalising allure through an array of genres, tempos and eras. In that respect it reminds me of the seminal epononymous 1976 Diana Ross album - an album that stands the test of time & engages the listener in the narrative of each song, always delivered with passion and grace. Starting with Something Tells Me, you are immediately pulled into the lesser known side of showbusiness - the backstage preparations, the nerves, the little things that can go wrong. All this is delivered in a way that lets Elouise's personality shine through; indeed there are some quite witty moments as she disparages being mistaken for being on Britain's Got Talent, the lack of climate control and the quality of the sound crew. It's charming and amusing - yet when she sings about singing in the chorus it is instantly beautiful and breathtaking. It's key that Elouise and her team (Steve Anderson, Terry Ronald, Bobbypop) demonstrate here an ability to make the music & vocal seamlessly intertwine not only with each other but with the demands of the song. It's something that makes the rest of the album very special indeed. Here are the highlights...
- Could It Be Magic (Le Kid Remix): The non-LeKid version of this song sees a slow building, considered take on the classic which weaves together a sweeping warm disco orchestra with Elouise's always impeccable vocal like musical alchemy. When it explodes in a glittering cascade, a musical spell is cast on the listener. How can Le Kid improve on this? Well, they don't, but they do offer their own interpretation which completely reinvents the track yet again. Under their able twiddling of knobs, it becomes a different, living, breathing, pulsating club monster with a hypnotic intoxicating vibe that complements & enhances the vocal performance. Mesmerising in either version...
- As Long As He Needs Me: The track springs out of your speakers as if you are part of a grand 1940s musical, inveigling it's way into your life with it's sumptuous instrumentation values and torch song vocals from Elouise. It's the epitomy of elegant restraint, though never in a way that you feel the track is straining to break free - instead it's an evocative reading of drawing power & strength from the love another and actually quite touching...
- You Don't Own Me: I can't help but think of First Wives Club whenever I hear this song (Goldie and Bette are so patronising to Diane when she sings - "pretty good" they deign onto her :P). The opening of this number seems like a knowing wink to that movie's version and it's always wonderful to hear some Belterette banter going on (as was so prevalent on Dear Santa). The stabbing piano chords and confident horns help the track sally forth to that glorious extended outro that just seems like it was the birth of girl power everywhere. Certainly, Elouise makes it an entirely uplifting experience...
- Don't Rain On My Parade: I confess. I already have a fave version of this song and it's by my beloved Debbie Gibson on her Colored Lights album from 2003. While that version is still delightful, it took a more feisty pop approach to production whereas, as expected, Elouise & co mold the song into something different. This time it is a languid, jazz infused declaration of amazingness merely by starting with the punchline of "hey world here I am". It gives a well known tune a new confidence, a zesty zing, a spring in it's step. Love the musical arrangement too - it sounds like it would fit perfectly alongside the Downtown intro to Priscilla: Queen of the Desert (the stage show). Lush.
- Smile: I'm almost sad that this isn't the Lily Allen song as lordy only knows what Steve Anderson could have done with that! No, it's the classic tune delivered with some resignation in a way that truly brings the lyrics alive. As I've mentioned before, Elouise is an expert storyteller and with just a slight inflection or tonal variation can melt your heart or lift your spirits. I could be wrong but I think I hear an oboe too - and the this tune really lets the instrumental contribute to the track; there's a fluidity about it that lets it be part of the story rather than feeling the need to rush back in with a vocal. It's heavenly...
- I'd Like To Hate Myself In The Morning: I must confess I wasn't really aware of this song but it's a giddy, flirty little treat with a real underlying "oh who gives a flying f***" type attitude running through it's playful ways. It's rife with punctuated stops, key change, growling vocals - all of which entice you to let your inhibitions go and join Elouise in her wanton wicked wild ways for a night on the town. It's like an alleycat anthem and I adore it already...
- Live and Let Die: A gentle piano couplet brings this track into creation and a whispering vocal sets off proceedings. It's the knowing tease of this subdued opening that makes the intro almost exquisitely painful - like Last Dance you know the song is going to swell and expand and when it does it's a crashing payoff of exuberant percussion & big band stylings that ebb and flow with the vocals to create an experience that can only be described as breathtaking. Geri Halliwell's version had nothing on this :P
- Tainted Love: It starts off as a theatrical denoument - dramatic horns, trembling drums and a powerhouse vocal from Elouise. You can almost picture her standing on the turrets of her princess castle, wind blowing, while she castigates the evil Baron VonDonderlinger with her music. Love the way the music works down the musical register as she finishes the musical intro with "take my tears and that's not nearly...." Stunning. Rather brilliantly, it then turns into a finger clicking, Hey Big Spender-esque, saucy little number. The drama is still there, but it's given a very slight playful edge that sexes it up - almost as if Elouise is teasing, demonstrating what the errant lover could be having.
- The Winner Takes It All: There's always a danger in ANYONE covering an Abba song, no less one that has had it's place most recently in Mamma Mia and a Kylie & Dannii duet. This is a different concoction and rather than producing something lazy that would more than have sufficed (I suspect whatever arrangement there was, Elouise would have carried it off vocally), this production feels uniquely created for Elouise, her album and her show. There is a lot going on in the background, but it doesn't feel cluttered, neither does the stunning backing track take over. It works seamlessly to complement Elouise's vocal delivery... She knows when to show restraint, when to let loose and when to temper her voice just in time to let the song holistically shine. Essentially, the instrumental builds and is continually layered as the song moves and breathes. The second verse is particularly gorgeous with piano chords playing off against strings and a lilting piano melody with an amazing ascending crescendo of notes bringing back the crashing drums. Fireworks explode in the sky with this song. It's instantly become one of my very favourite versions of the tune I've ever heard. "No self confidence - but you see..." becomes a five second menagerie of emotions from fragility, humility and sheer determination. To deliver that perfectly is a testament to Elouise's understanding of the song and her knowledge of how and when to control what comes out of those powerful singing lungs of hers. Just immense.
- Another Day: Another Day is a soaring ballad filled with heartache, emotion and regret. Strings and a persistant syncopated drum beat add to the drama while oohs and ahhs bring a richness to the chorus. Written by Steve Anderson and Terry Ronald, they clearly trust Elouise with a song that requires full commitment from the singer as well as emotional investment ~ in lesser hands, the song could have floundered under the vivid production. Elouise carries the tune, brings you into her story and leaves you wanting the next chapter. It's not an easy task to pull off...
- Pretender: If I remember correctly from twitter, Terry Ronald had this song laying around for about ten years before he found a performer worthy of the challenge. Once again, the lyrics are about yearning, what could have been and holding onto long gone possibilities. The vocal performance here is exquisite - completely matches the changing needs of the song. Elouise goes from confident to tremulously whispering to seductive to soaring diva without missing a beat. Thus it becomes not just a song but a performance where even the most tame and reserved listener is drawn into a theatrical world where imagery leaps at you from each lyric. It's one of the most poignant post-break up songs I've heard in a long time
- Fireman Of My Dreams: Fireman is a tune that Elouise and her brother wrote and then Steve Anderson added a bit of pixie dust to make it an even more camp experience. Trust me when I say (and I mean this as a high compliment) drag queens will be performing this song for years to come in the not to distant future. I know people hear Tears On My Pillow and Beauty School Drop Out in there, and that's true and quite possibly intentional. It's almost a medley of these great timeless pop tunes and I hear a little of Girl For All Seasons in there and definitely shades of I Will Always Love You as Elouise takes it to the dramatic finale. There's a cheeky wink in the lyrics, a bit of bawdiness (let me slide down your pole indeed!) and an endearing charm to the tune. Still love this 2 years after I initially heard it :)
(PS, I am going to need studio versions of One Night Only, Vogue and Get This Party Started for the next EP please :D)
I love Eloiouse. Steve Anderson & Terry Ronald are music geniuses. Also Bobbypop's musical involvement is epic. Hope it's released soon here in America.
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