Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Album Reviews: Forevher by Shura



We like what we like. That's what I think of when I listen to Shura. I really like her music a lot and I've been waiting three years to see what she would do next. I must say I did not see this coming at all. It is a completely different album from what she did before. Not only in sound but in energy, in maturity, in vocal performance. It's night and day and I find that as I accepted it as a completely different album and opened up to it I fell in love with it.

So from what I read on allmusic Shura's personal life went through a major change since 2016 and she found love, moved to the United States and obviously learned to fully embrace who she is. What we end up with is a 20 something, stream of conscious album about being completely in love. The funny thing is though electropop doesn't really open itself up to stream of conscious but she makes it work perfectly. Why you say doesn't electropop work well with stream of conscious. Well stream of conscious is usually quite wordy and electropop is all about keeping it simple. One of the reasons I like good electropop from artists like Robyn and Tracey Thorn is that they can capture so much thought and emotion in very few words. It's one of the things I really liked about the album from Sigrid this year. I'm not sure I'm good enough at breaking down lyrics to explain the difference I feel here with this album, but there is a sense to these lyrics that often they are being driven by a moment in time. That we are simply walking through that moment with her. Take for instance the song "The Stage."

Are we gonna kiss? Exciting.
I promised you my lips, in writing.
Take me by the hand and lead me through the room.

And it's so romantic.
And I'm so pathetic.
I can't see the stage,
Cause I'm looking at you.

And we're done with music,
So if you're assuming.
You're coming back with me,
Then baby yes you can.

Done with music, babe.
We're done with music.
Done with music, babe.
We don't wanna dance.
We just wanna...

We just wanna
Get out of here,
Get a car to my place,
And spend the evening kissing, baby.
Leave everybody dancing up on the stage.
(Leave everybody dancing.)

Don't need persuading.
If you'll play, I'm playing.
But I forgot my lines,
Did you forget them too?

Done with music, babe.
We're done with music.
Done with music, babe.
We don't wanna dance, dance, dance.
We just wanna...

We just wanna
Get out of here,
Get a car to my place,
And spend the evening kissing, kissing.

We just wanna
Get out of here,
Get a car to my place,
And spend the evening kissing, kissing.
And spend the evening kissing, baby.


It's a little moment in time captured and constructed to fit perfectly in a tight little electropop world. In the end the album is full of energy driven by the emotion of her lyrics and her vocals. I really hope things work out for Shura. This album oddly would work with about any mood you got, but if you're 25 and just fallen so madly in love you'll leave your country and move somewhere else to be near that person then this album is for you. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

1 comment:

  1. I really enjoyed reading this review. Thanks for writing it.

    So, it's not the same music, but the lush, Barry White-ish arrangement of the song in the video reminds me of another song in that way, ?Jack Savoretti's "What More Can I Do?" This is not my favorite kind of music. But this song caught my ear in a Panera Bread recently, and it's been pretty consistently in my top 10s for the last several weeks. For the week ending Monday, it came in eighth:

    1. Never Again, Vince Guaraldi
    2. Sawmill, Mel Tillis
    3. Blood Red and Going Down, Tanya Tucker
    4. Lovely Day, Bill Withers
    5. You’re the Best Thing That’s Happened To Me, Ray Price
    6. Riding My Thumb to Mexico, Johnny Lee
    7. Arms Full of Empty, Buck Owens
    8. What More Can I Do? Jack Savoretti
    9. If Teardrops Were Pennies, Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner
    10. Burning the Midnight Oil, Barbara Mandrell

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