Lopez Blogs

Awww. I'm on a Cathy Dennis kick today. Reasons why in a mo. Anyway, Cathy Dennis was worshipped by me in the early 90s. Not only did she churn out delectable little dance-pop tunes like Just Another Dream (where i'm reliably informed that the lyrics are not "some say you're my best lover - matched up like sugar on a pig" but probably sugar on a cake) and the criminally underrated You Lied To Me (ooo, "fierce", etc), but she fulfilled 2 very important functions in my pre-out-and-proud-bum-loving life. These will be revealed to you if you just cast your eyes about 1 centimetre south of where they are currently placed:

1. She started my love affair of lengthening people's names to something that was not their real lengthed name e.g. Cathy became Cathedral Dennis. It sounded grandiose. Now she is the slightly more common Cathedral City Chedder Dennis. Though to be fair that is a more middle class cheddar than your common garden variety Tesco own mild. And actually I blame Cathy for my dog's name (Blackie) which eventually became Blackard Stanley Matthews Babcock Babe Chicken Licken Lickity Split Reynolds the Dog Boo Flower Pop esq.
2. She was my "beard" when asked "ooo what pop star do you fancy". Because at 16, saying 'I'd spread that jason donovan like marmite across my bed and eat him up' was liable to get you a bit of male contact that you probably wouldn't enjoy (ie, a fist to the noggin). So Cathy was my answer, because Kylie seemed too gay and Debbie Gibson had bad hair back then.

I digressed a little bit there. Anyway, today is not about Cathy's brillo first album (which contains one of my all time favourite songs Too Many Walls) or her beat-tastic second album (which not only had a roaring dance tune in You Lied To Me, but also the lovely languid Being With You). No, in the wake of all these "oh i got soul and i'm all about the 60s" popstars littering the charts (Duffy, Amy, Adele, Gabrielle Climi et al), I thought i'd go back to an album that just effervesces 60s appeal ~ Am I The Kinda Girl...

Before Emma Bunton released the 60s-pop perfection of her Free Me album (and then her ok but sometimes quite boring Life in Mono set), Cathy Dennis bought charming 60s influenced pop to the masses. It actually was quite the departure for Cathedral and those expecting danceability got more of a gentle beats not bombs type affair. But luckily it was a quite lovely affair and one that still plays well on a summers day over 10 years later. There are several elements of the album that work incredibly well...

• Cathedral's voice is perfectly suited to the production levels of this album (i hate to say but it was a bit tinny on some tracks on earlier albums)
• The lyrics are quite poignant in places and melody is strongly emphasised
• In retrospect it was probably a bit ahead of it's time (Madonna didn't do Beautiful Stranger until the late 90s)
  
  

The lead off single from the album was the guitar jangling sound of West End Pad. It showcased that Cathy was perfectly capable of writing and performing songs outside the dance arena, but that still had all the decent elements of a pop tune to it. The lyrics also set up a running theme to the album - that the trappings of fame and success are fickle and hollow without those who are nearest and dearest to you. It's a great sing a long tune, that was followed by her near perfect update of the Kinks Waterloo Sunset. Cathedral takes an incredible song, gives it a bit of a 90s sheen yet still lets the 60s magic shine through - and doesn't ruin it! Interestingly, Ray Davis must have been a bit of a fan as he co-wrote the gorgeous song Consolation, which appeared on the British cd-single and fits in perfectly with the album (as does her cover of another Kinks song Sunny Afternoon) All three of these songs make good use of fuzzy guitar sounds and layered backing vocals to recreate the 60s sound. And Ray Davis co-crafted my favourite song on the album, the cute as a button The Date. Narrating the process of preparing for a date (duh), it's actually a commentary on changing yourself to fit in - "bend me shake me, but be careful you don't break me" are actually fairly heartbreaking when taken in that concept. After all, who doesn't want to fit in at some point in their lives?

Other highlights on the album include the title track (which features an amazing guitar riff ~ something i rarely notice) which was co-written by XTC's Andy Partridge and confirms that Cathedral could subtlely mix the sounds of brit pop with 60s pop and create a marvel. The gorgeous ballad When Your Dreams Turn To Dust just seems to float on the air like a feather so light and beautiful is the melody. The whole album is an absolute triumph and always cheers me up (despite it's quite downer lyrics) whenever I listen to it. Aces. Modern pop stars gain is our loss...

MP3: Consolation
MP3: Sunny Afternoon