Search - Julia Douglass :: Fetish for the Underdog

Review of Fetish for the Underdog

Robert S | Montclair, New Jersey | 01/09/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One day I went over to my friend Tracy's house and when I got there, I heard some music that caught my ear. It was a deep but catchy tune, immediately accessible, and there was a female singer with a great voice -- really unique, kind of lilting and pleasant, but also emotional and expressive, almost haunting. Between hello's and small talk with Tracy, I caught a few snippets of lyrics which, each on their own, were intriguing and, again, immediately accessible. What's this? I thought. Good, textural music straining through the tin-plated speakers of Tracy's cheap, floor-mounted boom-box? After months of having to choose between Garth Brooks and the Best of the Eagles as the short list from her CD collection, here was something that sounded pretty good, at least at first. "Who is this?" I asked. "It's Julia Douglass!" "Hmmm," said I, assuming the artist was a typical VH-1 pop diva, prompted by her swarms of publicists and songwriters into recording another album between stints on the Lilith tour. Then I listened for awhile. I think that Fetish for the Underdog is one of the best recordings released in the late 1990s. To put this opinion into perspective, consider the fact that the other artist that I think put out the best stuff during this time period include Sublime, Ziggy Marley, Ben Harper and The Fugees. Julia's stuff ain't no wimpy bubble-gum dance-video soundtrack, and it ain't mad-at-the-world, ferrous, mosh-pit thrash neither. It is pop music with intellectual complexity and lyrics with psychological soul. When you listen to the album, check out Julia's incredible vocal range, her hypnotic use of cadence, and the nuances in her voice. She handles genres from eerie jazz to rhythmic folk with equal mastery. And let's talk about lyrics. How many musicians are able to say something intelligent, relevant and evocative, and are able to do it in a way that flows poetic, conjuring images that echo in your mind? To be fair, Julia's performance is not the only thing that's outstanding on the album. The back-up artists are also quite talented, playing fervently and flamboyantly but also, respectful to the lead. The production work on the album is perfect, not too glitzy, but far from understated. Together, everything works, and the music sounds sharp and fresh. A recurring theme in many of the songs on the album is Julia's ability to see hilarity and hope in pathetic or despondent situations. Finding the beauty beneath the skin and within the lower castes. The celebration of the Underdog! Focusing on enrichment and learning from negativity rather than reveling in despair. Turning heartache into humor into absuridty, while still being poignantly cynical -- the perfect spin doctor for the vast populous of the Prozac Nation. Wanna Bee, the album's opener is quirky, catchy and right on target. it is a recitation of the ubiquitous desires of the universal consciousness, the anthem of Everywoman/Everyman. This could easily be a Top 10 hit, right along side, or better yet in front of, songs from Alanis Morisette, Natalie Merchant and the Mother Madonna. Another song, My Boyfriend is a Genius, is a real New York crowd-pleaser, a haunting, psychedelic ballad, rife with abject sarcasm. Do you Think is something we haven't seen in awhile, an unabashed political message. Right on! Long Hair is a song so deeply personaly and fraught with psychological innuendo that I'm afraid to talk about it for fear that I would need to spend another two years in therapy. Jenny is a Sponge -- Again, political, cerebral, intriguing. A dose of reality. I Can't Mother You -- There ain't no two ways about it, this is simply an awesome song. The beat is sharp and rocking, the lyrics are psychologically profound. Again, I won't touch this,
except to say there's probably a valuable lesson for men in here, except that I'm too weak and shallow a man to let it sink in. My favorite part of the song is Julia's colorful description of an idealized, developmentally synergistic relationship existing in a sort of beatnik, bourgeois utopia. Again, Julia shows us a positive resolution. She doesn't just spout bare criticism of how things are, she provides astute suggestions as to how they should be. Thank You-- To me, Thank You is one of the most emotionally powerful and cathartic songs written and performed by any artist, whether they be an aspiring rock star or an established Hall of Famer. I once told Tracy that I could make myself cry every time I heard this -- the other day, I was able to do it just humming the song to myself. Anyone who identifies with the subject matter of the piece, a friend who died too young, will certainly be moved by this song. Again, Julia's bouyant spin is the clincher. Rather than moping about personal loss and wallowing in self-pity, the song is instead a celebration of a missing friend, a tribute to mischevious youth and extended adolescence, invoking images of skinny-dipping and prank phone falls. Like others on the album, it is a "happy sad" song, rather like a eulogy set to a snappy, perky, "Hanson-like" melody. For anyone, its an homage to those with whom you shared your treasured memories. What you learned from them. How you're friends and family make you what are you. There are more gems on the album, and I strongly recommend (something I rarely do) that you go out and buy Fetish for the Underdog. Its one of those rare, wonderful albums by a new artist that sounds good when you first hear it
and gets better and better the more you listen to it. We can only hope that we hear more from Julia Douglass soon. Until then, Underdog is rich and complex enough to satisfy our fetish."

Rare and valuable

03/28/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ms. Douglass is inordinately talented. Her pop arrangements are lush and her melodies are mesmerizing. But although her sound is quite contemporary, the complex rewards of her songwriting hearken back to Jerome Kern or Rodgers/Hart. In a strong voice she sings of insecurity; in well-chosen words she tells of inarticulation. The songs succinctly describe muddled situations. The listener invariably comprehends more of the muddle than do any of the songs' subjects. This creates a consequent suspense, keen and glorious, such as one feels during much of Randy Newman's material, in which the listener wishes s/he could communicate somehow with these mistaken people inside the CD in order to pass them the advice they so desperately need. In short, one feels the presence of a great deal of humanity when hearing Ms. Douglass. One is implicated on rare and valuable levels. Not for two decades has there been such a promising debut: you can dance to this while your mind remains engaged by ethical dilemmas amid a robust artistic vision."

One great song. One very good song. That's it.

English Teacher | Brooklyn, NY | 05/07/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

""My Boyfriend is a Genius" is unabashedly and unequivocably great. "Wannabee" is very very good. The rest is so-so: marred by too similar musical ideas and limited, fairly annoying vocals. She's got some good lyrics, though. But by all means get a copy of "My Boyfriend is a Genius." A genius single."