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Beguile (Release Date: April 26, 2005) Album/Artist Review Sarah Atereth’s debut album Beguile is a comforting combination pop melodies and electronic beats, and her clear, mature voice gives a sense confidence that adds a sheer, upbeat layer to the whole package, even on the less “upbeat” songs. At first listen, as the bare piano and vocals of “Shall We Dance” emerge, her music comes across as somewhat naked or under-produced. ‘What kind of music is this?’ you ask yourself, questioning its similarities to a quieter Sondheim musical number, or perhaps an amateur’s attic recording. But as the song picks up and continues onto the chorus, you suddenly find yourself singing along without meaning to, even though you don’t yet know all the lyrics. And so follow suit the other tracks on the album. Atereth aptly represents herself on Beguile in terms of musical ability and style; while her songs vary in form and rhythm, they don’t skip all over the place and all retain similar a tone. I’ve personally found the most successful artists – both musical and not – to be those that establish a voice of their own without trying to be or imitate something or someone they are not. Sarah Atereth comes across as very grounded in who she is, and this filters through in her music, and will hopefully enable her to immediately be recognized as herself with albums and songs to come. The more personal songs that stand out on Beguile are “Fade Away”, “Caravan” and “It Doesn’t Take Much”. It is always reaffirming when the best songs on an album are the ones an artist wrote either entirely or mostly by herself, and these are examples of such works. In the first 12 words of “Fade Away”, Atereth paints a striking first-person image of a woman standing alone on a street corner or alleyway, with only the glow of flickering neon bar signs providing light in the dark night, and then ends with ‘As the fiends pass me by.’ Listening further you come to know the character as someone, having finally overcome being left behind by a lover, now faced with the grief of having to refuse that same lover as they come crawling back. “It Doesn’t Take Much,” possibly my favorite of the album, quite simply illustrates how difficult it is to say no to someone you want so much, even when you know you’re just a convenient plaything. Both are situations not uncommon to many of us, and Atereth powerfully portrays the heartache and complexity of trying to remain strong in such positions. “You Wouldn’t Know How” (currently with a collection of available remixes and receiving airplay on a pop radio stations across the country), “What Price Glory” and “Out of My Mind” are the get-up-and-dance songs on the album. And beware! You really may want to start getting down so save them for home, unless you have an unusually liberal office space. While the latter two in particular invoke this dancing urge, “What Price Glory” is the most genuine, as it creatively explores – each verse is a vignette – how far people will go to get ahead in life. One of the nicest touches to Atereth’s songs, although probably the least noticeable because it works so well, is the gender neutrality of her lyrics, particularly because so many focus on a specific other person. This really leaves it open listener to interpret her music how they want, and I encourage everyone reading to pick up the album and do just that. For more information on Sarah Atereth, including news, lyrics, photos and video clips, please visit her official web site at www.thesarah.com. -Sara Hamilton, May 25, 2005 More Reviews
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