Search - Emma Bunton :: Life in Mono

The Next Chapter

L.D. Mit | Los Angeles, CA United States | 03/27/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Life In Mono continues in the same vein as Free Me... sort of.



While there are a few tracks with that same sun-drenched bossa nova sound (Mischevious, He Loves Me Not), this is not Free Me II, but the next chapter of Emma's journey. The album opens with a lovely ballad, "All I Need To Know"- gutsy move! Next, the title track is a cover of a song by the group Mono. Where the original was like a dark music box tune, here it's been reworked like a James Bond theme (Anyone else think Ms. Bunton should REALLY do a Bond theme?).



The standouts are "I Wasn't Looking (When I Found Love)" and "Take Me To Another Town", both with catchy melodies and lush cinematic orchestrations. On "Undressing You", and especially the bonus track "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps", Emma shows she can convincingly go from sweetie to seductress in a heartbeat.



As wonderful as Free Me was, Life In Mono is a more mature affair. This is music for grown-ups, for lounging around on lazy Sundays or sultry late nights. Once again, Emma has proved her talent. She has found music that suites her voice perfectly, and she delivers it with sensuality and class- a rarity in today's popular music.



It remains to be seen if this album will be released stateside as Free Me was, and if it will be sucessfully pitched to the American market, which might too easily mistake it for "Easy Listening", which it most certainly is not. Let's keep our fingers crossed. We need more music like this."

Almost a Pop Masterpiece

Cabir Davis | 04/25/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Its really ironic that the most 'untalented' of the Spice Girls bunch would consistently provide us with such good material into the 2000s. Her last album "Free Me" was a classic that still finds plays on my Ipod.



1. If you love 1960s 'girl-group' melodies, you will love this.

2. If you like film-noir, and the soundtracks to the James Bond and Austin Powers series, you will love this.

3. If you like very poppy verse-chorus-verse, you will love this

4. If you're into Bossa Nova, Brazilian beach pop, and a little bit of reggae, you will adore this.



At its best, this sounds like a lost soundtrack to some 1960s French masterpiece by Truffaut. Very "Umbrellas of Cherbourg" but with a lot more zest and pep. You really have to get it and find out what I'm talking about.



The only downside is that the opening track is the weakest here, so many people may be put off. Do get this and discover a fabulous artist you may have neglected until now just because of her "Spice Girls" tag.



To sum up, Emma is a million times more accomplished and a real artist when compared to the remaining Spice Girls. This one album is better than all the others' solo releases combined. Seriously."

The best solo Spice material ever!

T.E. | New Mexico,USA | 02/14/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Baby Spice was always my favorite Spice Girl, next to Posh Spice. Fast forward to a little over 10 years later after the Spice Girls hit the scene and who would've ever thought that Emma would be probably the most critically-acclaimed out of all the Spice Girls with her last two solo albums; Free Me and her newest one, Life in Mono.



The production on this is quality! Where her last album, Free Me, succeded in capturing elements of Brazil, bossa nova and 60's flair, Life in Mono upgrades the sound a bit with even lusher instrumentals and superb vocals from Emma. My favorite songs on the album are:



All I Need To Know-The second single from the album and the most beautiful and tender track on the album. A very sweet ballad.



Mischievous-The bossa nova feel to it is incredible and matches Emma's voice perfectly, especially during the middle of the track where Emma sounds really angelic. A standout track on here.



He Loves Me Not-This song captures the sound of Brazil perfectly! One listen to this song's samba-like arrangements will have you imagining yourself in Rio de Janeiro on a lazy Sunday afternoon.



Undressing You-This song screams "Bond Theme"! Emma's being a cheeky gal on this track and it's a very make-love-to type of track.



Something Tells Me (Something's Gonna Happen)-Another bossa nova type of track. A great one to listen to after a long day.



Por Favor-A very slow, very seductive track. Emma's syrupy voice drenches the track with a romantic feel on this one.



Downtown-This one sees Emma covering the classic Petula Clark song. The BBC Children In Need single for 2006 and another UK Top 3 singles hit for Emma.



I'm not sure if this will receive an American release or not, seeing as how the fickle music industry here probably wouldn't think it'd sell over here and is not mainstream enough for American listeners. Truth be told it might not, but don't let that stop you from buying (or in the American case, importing) this lusciously good album. The perfect album for candlelight dinners and amor."