'Revolution In Me' is the debut album from ex-Sugarbabe Siobhan Donaghy. Produced by Cameron McVey (Massive Attack/Neneh Cherry) & Donaghy herself, the album aims for a more contemporary adult pop/rock sound than th... more »at of the Sugababes. Includes the singles 'Overrated' & 'Twist Of Fate'. London. 2003.« less
'Revolution In Me' is the debut album from ex-Sugarbabe Siobhan Donaghy. Produced by Cameron McVey (Massive Attack/Neneh Cherry) & Donaghy herself, the album aims for a more contemporary adult pop/rock sound than that of the Sugababes. Includes the singles 'Overrated' & 'Twist Of Fate'. London. 2003.
CD Reviews
A wonderful artist that hasn't caught on yet (in US).
Christian Hunter | Austin, TX and Santa Barbara, CA, | 03/03/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As fate would have it, it took a motorcycle accident in Greece (never let drunken Italian women drive your bike...no matter how hot they are) to put me in front of this (newly solo) artist. I was thoroughly bandaged and hopped up on painkillers and Bloody Mary's, roasting in the summertime Mykonos heat when I first connected with Siobhan Donaghy. This beautiful Irish Redhead with Racoon Eye makeup took over my tiny TV screen debuting her "Overrated" video and I immediately perked up and gave it my full focus (harder at that time to do than it sounds). Her video, like her entire CD, has a decidedly "pop" anchor, but is wrapped in unique riffs and a peppering of Euro Electronica (likely the influence of producer Cameron McVey of Massive Attack). I really can't equate her sound (voice and music) to any other, which is probably a good thing. This is not to say that she's that "far off the beaten path", quite to the contrary, but you can definitely hear a new and success-bound style in the making. For her age (I think she's roughly 20yrs old) she is remarkably mature in her delivery and sound (formerly with the Sugababes); that no-doubt comes from being a child star.I love the entire album, but coincidentally favor the first four tracks. "Overrated Little Bits" stands out as my favorite, I could (and have) listened to that song over, and over, and over again......anyway, this import isn't cheap, but I would highly recommend adding her to your collection now. It's always fun to "get on the front of the wave" and create an intimate relationship with the artist before everyone else does; and trust me, the US will come to love this girl very soon.Hope this helped."
Very good record by an artist with a sense of the eclectic.
D. Mok | Los Angeles, CA | 01/05/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I knew nothing of Siobhan Donaghy's former band Sugababes, so I first listened to this record with no baggage attached. What I could hear was a very promising young artist with an engaging voice and singing style whose songs carry more than a touch of the weird. She comes off as someone to take seriously.While the backbone of this record is dance pop, some strange instrumental touches help make Revolution in Me stand out. "Nothing But Song"'s freeform acoustic guitars are almost jazz, with touches of record scratching, a garage-rock snare drum sound and Donaghy's loose, falsetto-heavy singing complicating the mix considerably. "Next Human (XY)" has a synth sound that could have been on Nelly Furtado's first album, and the best track on the record, "Suasex", features almost Gothic keyboard melodies juxtaposed with some of Donaghy's sweetest background vocals on the record. The disparate musical elements are almost reminiscent of Gemma Hayes, though not quite as dense or complex. Donaghy is a strong, mature vocalist who has a soulful voice; while she's not exactly Toni Braxton, she also doesn't overdo her vibrato like Christina Aguilera, nor does she resort to nasal tones to fake R&B singing like Britney Spears.I came across this record entirely by chance and I'm glad I did. Although some of the songs meander structurally, Donaghy's engaging vocal performances and creative arrangements help make them palatable. Recommended for dance-pop fans who actually like to listen to the music for something more than a throbbing bass and a bare midriff."
There is life after the Sugababes
Nasser Alqatami | 02/19/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This ex-Sugababe starlet is back to take a jab at a music career. Siobhan was part of the original line-up, until she split from the now-megastar group. However, Revolution In Me is confirmation that her split was due to difference in direction. As the Sugababes developed a more mainstream approach with radio-ready songs, Siobhan works with Massive Attack producer Cameron McVey to deliver sophisticated ( the jaunty "Nothing But Song" ), unconventional ( the elaborate "Man Without Friends") and urbane tracks. The two lead single are also pleasant, including the dreamy "Overrated" and "Twist Of Fate."
Revolution In Me merges admirably to form a complete piece. Whether it is the sing-along finale "Iodine" or the mysterious "Suasex," all the tunes complement each other. Even the weakest track on the album "Next Human (XY)" somehow fits the mixture when backing the swift "As You Like It."
Revolution In Me is definitely a dazzling debut from Siobhan Donaghy."
She's gone indie - and it's perfect
Daniel Ting | Austin, TX USA | 02/24/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I heard 'Overrated' from a P2P sharing network, and I fell in love with the song. I then visited her website, where I was immediately impressed with the creativity of the anagram of her name: Shanghai Nobody, and the layout of the website, which adopted the concept of a magazine format. (Unfortunately the website doesn't exist anymore.)
Previewing tracks like 'Nothing But song', 'Twist of Fate' and 'As You Like It', I decided to go to Borders and preview the rest of the album, and I purchased it on that same day.
Anyway, here are my favorites:
Overrated
Dialect
Twist of Fate
Man Without Friends
Lyrically, I think Siobhan borrows a little too much from Shakespearean plays - it's apparent in the way the tenses are placed in some songs (ie. Dialect and X&Y). Not surprising considering she majored in Literature while she was in the university.
Musically, however, the album is a winner. Production is slick and the choice of instruments (as well as protools, I would assume) give the album an eclectic feel with an edge. I'm thinking 'Dialect' - that's edge. The guitar-bruised tracks of 'Overrated' and 'Twist of Fate' made them obvious singles, and are some of the stronger tracks on this album. 'Man Without Friends' is undoubtedly one of my favorites - I didn't like it at first but now I LOVE it - the guitar intro is extremely pleasant and easy on the ears.
If you haven't ventured into British indie music yet, start with this. It'll blow you away.
I'm a little disheartened by the fact that Siobhan was dropped from London Records (the same reason why her website was taken down as well), but (good for her) she managed to sign with Parlophone! So there's gonna be an album out this year, which I am definitely going to watch out for."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1