 |  | Another interesting choice that works beyond words. |  |
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R4HQ1UWO4TNK7 My name is Jeremy Gloff. I am a musician (check me out on Amazon!) and retro music enthusiast. If you enjoyed this review make sure to check out my Amazon user profile to check out my other reviews. I am always up for making new friends and discussing the music I love!!!
July 8, 2008Great Marianne Faithful stuff. Think her new stuff is much better than what she did 30 years ago. Would highly recommend.
June 23, 2008 | | Not her most memorable work | |
Marianne Faithfull has always been an expert at bouncing back from obscurity, as with the seminal "Broken English" in the early 1980s. Kissin' Time sees Faithfull once again staying at the cutting edge of pop, with assistance by Beck (Sex With Strangers, Like Being Born, Nobody's Fault), Billy Corgan (Wherever I Go, Something Good), Dave Stewart (Song For Nico), Jarvis Cocker (Sliding Through Life On Charm), and Blur, on the title track.
I have always associated her with other famous blondes of the 60s like Nico and Anita Pallenberg, so it's apt that she does a tribute to the Velvet Underground chanteuse with the expert help of Dave Stewart. It seems the Nico tributes are pouring in - compare a song with the same title on Angels of Light's album "How I Loved You." But I miss the emotional resonance and the authenticity of Vagabond Ways, her most recent masterpiece.
After the first track, the listening pleasure only really resumes on the ironic Sliding Through Life On Charm with its witty autobiographical references. I also love the lilting pop/reggae of Love & Money and the lovely pop of her cover of Goffin & King's Something Good, which is reminiscent of the type of innocent 60s songs she used to sing at the start of her career. If it weren't for the voice of course, that has dropped to a more husky tone.
My tracks of choice also include Sex With Strangers with its ironic comments and nervous beat. So this was the 2002 manifestation of Marianne reinventing herself, and it's interesting, but not always emotionally gripping and memorable. Still, it deserves four stars for musical variety and humor.
July 23, 2007| | | A shimmering soundscape... | |
I think that I am one of Marianne's youngest fans and this album is by far one of her best. The thing that I LOVE about Marianne is that almost every album is different from the previous recording. Since her breakout hit, "Broken English", Marianne has been one of those hidden gems that is severely underappreciated in the US. Kissin' Time shows Marianne experimenting with electronic sounds but still keeping her raspy vocals and deep, introspective lyrics. Suprising collaborations with Beck and Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins seem to fit nicely here. From the hard, electonic opening, "Sex with Strangers" to the synth-layered anthem, "I'm on Fire", Marianne shows that she is a veteran in the music business and that one should not dismiss her just because of her age. I believe that Kissin' Time is her most commercial record to date, and is one of the best albums released in the 21st century.
May 20, 2007I was always curious about Marianne Faithfull, so when I saw who she worked with on this album, I thought it was a good time to try her out. All the tracks here are collaborations with different artists (Beck, Corgan, etc.), and most of them work very well. The album isn't real consistent, but I really like "I'm On Fire", "Wherever I Go", "Song For Nico", and the excellent "Nobody's Fault". "Something Good" ends things on a happy note too. Some of the songs, and especially her voice can be rather hypnotic. Vocally she's the female Leonard Cohen or Mark Lanegan, sounding weathered and rough, but also smooth and sexy. This may not be the place for a new fan to start, but I'm glad I found it.
March 21, 2005More reviews at Amazon.com ...
