Lopez Blogs

Delta Goodrem ~ Delta:

I think, like most people, I have different reactions to an album when I first hear it. There is the ‘oh it’s alright and I’ll come back to it later’ reaction to sets that will eventually grow on me and I love long after they have disappeared from the charts (Pink, I’m Not Dead; Killers, Sam’s Town; most recent Erasure albums…) There are then those that are heaped with critical acclaim, yet I don’t get at all, so I persevere for a while and then give up and store in my ‘not for me, beyond my mental capacity’ file (latest sets from Darren H, Robyn, Roisin and PSB et al…) There are very few that I listen to and think, ugh, I won’t bother with that again (usually because I don’t like the single/artist in the first place). And finally there are albums that upon first listen I am utterly entranced by and always and forever become classic albums for me. Recent examples of this include BWO Fabricator, Maroon 5 It Won’t Be Soon Before Long and of course Simon Curtis Alter Boy. The third set by Delta (brilliantly *cough cough* titled Delta) falls into that category. It’s not ground breaking. It’s not going to change the face of pop as it is known. It is, however, a totally solid set of beautifully crafted pop songs steeped in melody, rhythm, beautiful emotive vocals and poetic lyrical craftsmanship. The album starts with one of those tracks that crosses genres and could be presented in any format. Believe Again could be a dance classic, a coffee chugging poetry chick acoustic strummer, a gentle ballad or the fine pop song it is. Reminiscent of Madonna’s Frozen, it’s a fine start to the album – beautiful piano, chill out dance beats and an uplifting positive message about the power of love. Single In This Life gets catchier each time I hear it with a great chorus. Possessionless is very Emancipation of Mimi in the verses but mercifully it launches into a powerhouse hook that totally redeems the song. There are definite influences from other artists on the album ~ the start of You Will Only Break My Heart reminds me of a Lily Allen song, while the rest is how I imagine a good Amy Winehouse track (if I liked her) would sound. Woman reminds me of Dolly Parton in the country tinged music and the heartbreaking way in which it is sang. There are far too many good songs on this album for me to write about here because, lets face it, these blogs are long enough already. Suffice to say, after a mildly impressive debut and a mildy disappointing sophomore set, Delta has bought together the best elements of both those albums and created something endearing, powerful and lasting.