It doesn't really matter but I am very thrilled that two of my favourite new acts of 2008 are intrinsically linked. Now if only Oh Laura would cover Love Song and Isabel would cover Release Me, I'd be in song sharing heaven. For now, I will just say thank bloody heavens above that Isabel Guzman has gotten around to releasing an EP of magnificent new material. Remember when popstars put proper b-sides on their singles, not just "karoke versions" or "simlish" (Whatever the fuck that is!)? This harks back to an era when you would get value for money with your single purchases. Bring back the posterpack next Isabel!
The EP kicks off a whistlestop tour through the world of Ms Guzman and Mysterious is an aptly named lead off track. With a tip of her hat melodically to No Good Advice/My Sharona (depending on how old you are) during the first few moments, the song transforms into an out and out, balls to the wall, kick you in the crotch fantastic little pop song. Isabel flirts her way into the attention of a young dude, who is playing the hard to get perfectly as she becomes more and more intruiged with him - the minimal middle 8 gives a sense of light headedness as Isabel takes a breath before launching back into her dangerous pursuit. The title track sees events take a turn for the worse, as the title track leads to confessions of guilt in a beautiful pop refrain that hasn't been heard since Madonna sang Papa Don't Preach. Once again, the music carefully matches the mood of the song getting more sinister and ominous as the tune progresses to it's satisfying conclusion.
If Gwen Stefani weren't so obsessed with being harijuku, she might edge some of the corporate sheen out of her songs and produce something as hand clappingly glorious as And The Beat Goes; sometimes the world just needs a song with chanting, an insistent beat and a hook that would make Peter Pan quiver. And as abruptly as that, the party is over and it's back to a roaring fire, a glass of wine and an acoustic version of her internet fave Love Song. It's an entirely softer side of Isabel and one that adds layers to the EP in terms of depth and performance. In parts it is virtually acapella that shows that when dancing more is more, but when romancing less is often the best policy. If the EP is reminiscent of a night out, then this is the reflective moment before dawn, when shards of light pierce the skies and your consciousness before you get back on your feet for one last hurrah. That comes in the form of a remixed Mysterious (Attie-tude Mix) with melodic piano tinkling in the background and a breakdown middle 8 that deserves the best dance routine since Janet Jackson's Miss You Much. Isabel Guzman - exhausting and brilliant all at once. What more could one ask for?
It doesn't really matter but I am very thrilled that two of my favourite new acts of 2008 are intrinsically linked. Now if only Oh Laura would cover Love Song and Isabel would cover Release Me, I'd be in song sharing heaven. For now, I will just say thank bloody heavens above that Isabel Guzman has gotten around to releasing an EP of magnificent new material. Remember when popstars put proper b-sides on their singles, not just "karoke versions" or "simlish" (Whatever the fuck that is!)? This harks back to an era when you would get value for money with your single purchases. Bring back the posterpack next Isabel!
