Amanda Marshall - Everybody's Got a Story

Toronto is hardly a hotbed of soul, blue-eyed or otherwise. But geographic roots inform little of Amanda Marshall's third album. As the title suggests, her lively songs play out against a more personal landscape of first- and third-person perspectives and narratives. While Marshall's husky, expressive voice sometimes lapses into contemporary R&B shadings, it's often a shrewd vehicle to deliver genre-blending songs whose viewpoints and rich, telling details are anything but mundane.

Part confessional, part personal challenge, the album's songs are largely rooted in autobiography. "Double Agent" explores Marshall's bicultural roots (Canadian-Trinidadian). "Colleen (I Saw Him First)" offers up a romantic rivalry steeped in tragedy. "The Voice Inside" acknowledges the foibles of ambitions of all stripes. Marshall's songwriting collaborator-producers--Peter Asher (the onetime Beatles associate who's midwifed careers from James Taylor's to 10,000 Maniacs'), Billy Mann (Diana King, Art Garfunkel), and NYC DJ Molecules--wrap her voice in an intoxicating cocktail of orchestral flourishes, hip-hop beats, crunchy samples, and crystalline acoustic guitar that inform, tease, and cajole Marshall's spunky groove musings and solid pop instincts ("Dizzy," "Crystal Ball," "Gypsy," the title track) to new heights. --Jerry McCulley Amazon.com

She totally lost it. Wanna be Britney

Loved her last 2 albums and reluctantly bought it out of pity to be honest. I was even surprised to see that her producer was Billy Mann whom I liked his own albums, but was expecting something better with this combination of talent. Sadly, these guys tried too hard to sound like a some dumb teeny clone. I hope she can redeem herself in future. May 4, 2008

Hit & miss collection

I own her earlier (and better) CDs. There are some goodies on here that made it onto my MP3 but the rest, well, they're space takers until I get to the songs I like if I'm playing the actual CD. I hesitate to name the songs I like/dislike because of the previous reviews of "this song rocks!" and then for the same song later "total bomb!." Her earlier CDs however, are well worth owning. March 24, 2008

Still a very good CD

This disc has gotten quite a bit of flack for moving away from Amanda's sound on her first two CD's and moving towards a sound that is easier to sell to the mainstream. I think it is unjustified, who wants to listen to the same sounding songs disc after disc.

Here he voice is in fine form. "Sunday Morning After," is a catchy pop tune that will have you still singing it hours afterword. "Colleen" and "Marry Me" also stand out. For me though the highlight is without a doubt "Sunday Morning After." I can't ever remember a song about a drunken one-nighter coming in such a catchy, fun and funny package. March 20, 2008

Absolute garbage?

I usually try to avoid reviewing an item unless I have something positive to say about it, but in this case I'm making an exception to warn others. While I can't say for sure that you'll find this CD to be as bad as I think it is, please understand that I am an Amanda Marshall fan. I think her two other albums are excellent, but this CD is so bad that after just a few plays I think it will end up in the trash can. I was hoping some of the tunes would catch on after a few listenings, but it didn't work. Save your money for something with better potential for a positive outcome. May 31, 2006

What The F**k Happened?

I loved Amanda's first two albums. But this? Some of the dumbest lyrics I've ever heard. This cd totally sucks. Buy her first 2
cd's, but don't touch this one!! I love her, but this cd is rotten to the core. April 10, 2006

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