Search - Eddi Reader :: Mirmama

Gorgeous!

T. Kavanagh | Ireland | 07/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"'Mirmama' is the real McCoy. For all Fairground Attraction's charm, there was an element of cutsey-ness which held back the talents of a truly great interpretive singer. On this, her first solo album, Eddi Reader's soul is let loose. From the opening bars of the incredibly beautiful 'What You Do With What You've Got', through to the weary melancholy of 'My Old Friend The Blues', Reader never sets a foot wrong. Her voice is one of the most fluid I've ever heard and she uses it as much like a lead instrument as a vehicle for lyrics. Few singers can get right to the heart of a song like Eddi Reader can and I defy the listener not to get pulled into the bitterness of 'All Or Nothing', 'That's Fair' and 'Pay No Mind'. With Thomas Dobly working some magic in the background, 'The Blacksmith' belies its age (hundreds of years old, folks!) and becomes a great, twisted tale of a woman spurned. The rhythms underline the drama and this could easily have become a dance track with a bit more knob-twiddling.It's not often that covers and originals sit so well together on the one album but the joins are impossible to see. The songwriting talents of Eddi and her cohorts are top notch (witness 'All Or Nothing', 'Cinderella's Downfall', 'Pay No Mind' and the beautiful new melody for Si Khan's 'What You Do With What You've Got'). The cover of John Prine's masterpiece 'Hello In There' is just perfect. The Americanisms have been replaced with words and images truer to Eddie's Scottish roots, thus ensuring that the song strikes home absolutely. Shame on RCA for not marketing this album properly and letting a real masterpiece go to waste. This may sound like hyperbole to the casual browser but I promise you that this album is a very worthwhile investment."

Grown men in tears

Oryx P. Orangeachre | Streetsville, Ontario, Canada | 11/04/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a sensitive guy, but it does take some doing to make me
cry. When I first heard "What You Do With What You've Got"
on commercial radio in Japan (I have never heard it on any
kind of radio since that one, perfect first time), my eyes
filled with tears and I believed that I had heard the voice
of an angel. Anytime since then that I've needed to connect
with both my feminine side (with songs that make my
heartstrings hurt) and my masculine side (with a voice and a playfulness
that make my libido lambada), this is the CD that finds its way
into the slot. I've sent the CD over the years to various other senstive guys I know, and the result has been similar. Nice and nasty never mixed nicer."

An unforgettable masterpiece

Oryx P. Orangeachre | 12/17/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are a fan of singers like Sarah McLachlan, you owe it to yourself to get this album. Despite a bewildering lack of marketing on the label's part, this album is an undeniable treasure. I was lucky enough to find it in one of those small music stores where they really know and sell music, not hype. I previewed the album over their headsets, all the while telling myself "the next song won't be as good. They never are." Boy, was I wrong. From beginning to end, Reader's expert phrasing and highly emotive voice will have you hooked, and her lyrics are second to none. I defy anyone who has a heart not to be moved to tears by the haunting "Hello In There," or instantly recognize someone they know in the lyrics of "What You Do With What You've Got." There's the up-beat "Honeychild", the insightful "Pay No Mind", the bittersweet "The Blacksmith", and I can't say enough about the pleasures of my own personal favorite, the serene and meditative "Dolphins." Furthermore, every woman alive knows the truth of "Cinderella's Downfall." I've given "Mirmama" as a gift to six friends (of both genders), and all of them have told me it's one of their Top 10 all-time favorites. You will too!"