(S)he – Animal / 2006 Bigbarn / 12 Tracks / http://www.sheurbanrock.com / http://www.myspace.com/shemusik / Reviewed 18 January 2006>

The first track on (S)he’s album sounds a lot like Destiny’s Child and the other women-centric acts on the market today. From the beginning of the disc (S)he sounds as if they have drawn heavily from a number of similar sounding acts. (S)he goes into a more gospel like style with “Temptation”, to the degree that the track sounds very influenced by acts like Trin-I-Tee 5:7 and Nicole C. Mullen. The track has a R&B sound to it that far surpasses any prior track on the disc. The rapidly changing tempo of “Everything He’s Got” brings listeners back into another period in popular music. Even though (S)he has not reached major levels of popular success, the tracks on this album are solid enough that anyone that is lucky enough to stumble on this album will be pleasantly surprised.

The pop present in each track is coupled with a backing band that can actually tell a story with each subsequent track. This is so far removed from anything else that is currently on the market that is (S)he gets back, there will be a massive fanbase huddled around the band in short time. The brand of pop that (S)he has ties to each movement that has taken place in popular music in the last decade, so individuals that stumble on this disc will have something that they can appreciate. After (S)he gets started, they work with the same high quality throughout. As the disc spins on, there is no decrease in the talent contained in subsequent tracks.

The first time where it seems as if there is a snag in (S)he’s output has to be “Da’ Hotness”. In “Da’ Hotness”, the backing band seems to fall into a rut fairly quickly, not doing much else to their output from the beginning to the ending of the track. The disc’s momentum is further weakened by the inclusion of the vocal (talking) – only track “Gone For A Minute”. The band is on very shaky footing by the time that “Matters Of The Heart” starts up. Luckily, “Matters of the Heart” is a track that quickly regains the energy and power of the earlier (S)he tracks. The band comes out with a solid album in “Animal”, even if they do briefly encounter a snag during the disc’s runtime. If you can find a copy of this disc and like strong female-led pop music, “Animal” may just be something that is a necessity to pick up.

Top Tracks: Matters of the Heart, Temptation

Rating: 6.3/10

[JMcQ]