- Category: Music » Rock & Pop » General Rock & Pop
- Format: CD Learn more about the CD format using Tower WIKI.
- Release Date: April 30, 2002
- Label: A&M Records (USA)
- UPC: 606949330729
- WAPI (Tower ID): 106447460
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Average Customer Review:
(1 customer review)
- Tower.com Sales Rank: #11611 in Music (See Top 100 Music Bestsellers)
- #4578 in Rock & Pop (See Top 100 Rock & Pop Bestsellers)
- #2852 in General Rock & Pop (See Top 100 General Rock & Pop Bestsellers)
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Product Description
Run a Quick Search on "Be Not Nobody" by Vanessa Carlton to Browse Related Products:Browse more products related to "Be Not Nobody"Browse more products related to "Vanessa Carlton"ReviewQ (10/02, p.102) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Carlton sounds earthier, wiser and in for the long haul..." Title NotePersonnel: Vanessa Carlton (vocals, piano); John Goux (guitar, dulcimer, sitar); Ron Fair (harmonica, organ, vibraphone); Alex Al (electric upright bass); Chuck Berghofer (upright bass); Abe Laboriel Jr. (drums); Luis Conte (percussion). If You Enjoy "Be Not Nobody (CD)", May We Also Recommend:Customer Reviews for "Be Not Nobody (CD)" by Vanessa Carlton (Artist)Most Recent Customer Reviews Pretty good, though sometimes, it seems as though it doesnt know where its
heading to...
, December 1, 2007
By Philippine Nessaholic
Vanessa Carlton’s debut, “Be not Nobody” showed promise of a “could’ve-been
successful” career. Now, at present, she’s left scavenging among the remnants of
her career during her heyday back in 2002. This is really sad since she is
“among the great ones” from the line of artists today, along with contemporaries
Michelle Branch and Norah Jones. The lead single “A Thousand Miles” is probably
one of the best, if not, the best song in the album. BUT, the problem with
Carlton’s career started with this very same song that established it. But I
guess it is not the song that should be on full blame, it is her label rather.
Ron Fair stated once in an interview that ATM was the first song they have
finished recording and when he presented this to his boss, the head of
Interscope Records, they demanded to release the song at once, seeing its hit
potential. Ron Fair admitted after the release that he thought there’s going to
be a problem because Carlton’s public image has not yet been established. The
video released featured Carlton, unknown to almost everyone (except maybe
perhaps to the little following she gained while playing in New York) in a black
lacy dress with her hair in braids. Still, the song became a hit, even helping
“Be not Nobody” crack at The Billboard’s 200 # 5 spot. But, after hearing the
entire album, it is clear that the image presented in the ATM video is very
different from what the entire album is portraying (though ATM does not
breakaway from the artistry found with the other songs).
The album opener,
“Ordinary Day”, shared the same pop melodies with ATM, and was even the album’s
second single. The song has a dreamy vibe to it that takes you to that
“paradise” whenever you listen to it (if you have seen the video, you would know
what I mean). The second song, “Unsung” featured Carlton in angst both in
singing and piano-playing. It is one of the best Blues song from a none-Blues
artist. The 4th song, “Pretty Baby” is probably the worst song in the album, and
an evident remnant of the bubblegum music during the turn of the new millennium.
It sounded as though this would fit on a Britney Spears album during her
“Sometimes” and “(You Drive Me)Crazy” days, as the cheesy meter heats up and the
sweet lyrics could make your teeth rot. By the 5th song however, things get
darker. In “Rinse”, Carlton sings about a girl reaching out to a love that will
never be. It sounds cheesy, but it is not, because it is where one of Carlton’s
talent shines- her songwriting. “Sway”, another filler with a wishy-washy melody
that seemed as though it is not sure where it’s going. Another album highlight,
“Paradise” showed Carlton’s ability to set-up a dark and quiet mood, allowing
the listener to be seduced by the song’s mystery. The following track, “Prince”,
sounded like a product of bad studio experimentation. The only cover track, a
revival of The Rolling Stones’ “Paint it Black” showed promise and is one of the
best cover songs I’ve heard, though, it is still evident that it is heavily
studio-dictated and that Carlton was just obliged to do it because she is
bounded by record contract. The next track, “Wanted” featured just Carlton and
her piano, and the final track, “Twilight” closes the album satisfactorily with
an elegant but subtle orchestration.
Now, it is clear that Carlton is not the
best vocalist ever, she’s no Whitney, Mariah, or Celine, but she’s not bad
either, she can sing better than Britney Spears, Hilary Duff, Lindsay Lohan, and
Ashlee Simpson even if they sing as a quartet. And in this album, she uses her
strength and weaknesses to complement each other and produce a quality control
of balance. As early as the 5th track, “Rinse”, it is clear what Carlton’s style
is, she plays simple chords while singing and changes them to hooky piano
melodies during instrumental breaks. For example, in “Wanted”, as her voice
trails of during the middle of the song, she uses her piano to continue what her
voice left. But one problem of the album is its being over-diverse, being
written for the rest of Carlton’s life before she got signed up. Almost every
song sounded too angst-ridden that it will make you want to ask her to cool down
for a bit (at least we get this on “Paradise” but then the heat picks up again
when “Prince” comes in, don’t worry, there’s still “Twilight). The album also
has its share of embarrassing moments and these moments have something to do
with Carlton’s untrained vocals. Critics compare her yelping to those of Alanis,
but I compare her to a Cyndi Lauper with bad vocalizations, but don’t worry,
these were just moments, not an album-full.
This is Carlton’s best-selling
album, though it is a shame because compared to her two other works, this one
pales in comparison. But, it is not a bad album, it’s just that its
over-diversity makes it sound as though Carlton is not sure where she’s heading
for. But thankfully, she answered that on her second album.
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