Marie Digby really gained a lot of attention through her acoustic cover of ‘Umbrella’ on Youtube back in 2007. Since that time she released an album in 2008, gotten numerous TV song placements, started modeling a little bit, and even released some work in Japan (her mother is Japanese). With her sophomore US effort Breathing Underwater, Marie Digby is out to prove she belongs to stay and isn’t an artist riding out 15 minutes of internet fueled flame. Personally, I really enjoyed her debut album Unfold and was highly anticipating her new release. Originally slated to drop in the first half of 2009, it was pushed back to the fall, causing a long wait for her fans.
So was Breathing Underwater worth the wait? Let’s find out!
Daybreak – This is a really strong pop single and Marie sounds great on it. I really like the hard hitting drum track countered by the melodic piano. The lyrics are kind of generic but they serve the song just fine. The chorus can kind of get stuck in your head after a couple listens but that’s not a bad thing since it’s annoying in the least bit. A pretty fair way to start things off.
Avalanche – The production takes a lot of cues from the previous track only it’s all a little bit more upbeat here. There’s even the slightest hint of electronica, staying true to the recent trend of electro-pop without diving into the genre too deep. The song has a great vibe to it and I really like the strings in the build up to the chorus. The vocals felt just a tad bit forced on the bridge but otherwise they are pretty strong on this one. Overall the song is pretty good though not great.
Breathing Underwater – As the title track this is surprisingly unmemorable. The production feels uninspired and the melody feels entirely too generic. I mean the song is harmless enough but there is little that makes it stand out. Almost sounds like a track that Jordin Sparks passed on. An OK song, but forgettable.
Shoulda Been Simple – This song is a bit more faithful to Marie’s style in her previous album ‘Unfold’, making good use of the acoustic guitar, but it’s quickly drowned out by the cookie cutter production. That being said, there is still a likeable quality to the track though I think I would have preferred it if it was scaled back a bit and unplugged.
Know You by Heart – Marie continues her style transition to Pop with this song that sounds like it was made for the club market. It’s kind of weird her on this type of track. Maybe I’m just not used to it but it all feels a little unconvincing. There is very little that is organic about this song and her voice is pretty heavily layered and filtered. At the very least I would say the song is interesting but it hasn’t really won me over.
Feel – Everytime I hear this track I can’t believe how much it emulates Timbaland’s production on his version of One Republic’s “Apologize”. This song feels very copy cat which is too bad because if it had come out first it would have been a pretty fresh track. Marie really goes in on this track and it’s a pretty catchy mid-tempo pop track. But I still enjoyed the acoustic version she posted up much more.
Come Find Me – Unfortunately this song also comes off as mediocre. Just as many of the other tracks, it’s a pleasant enough of a listen but I find myself tuning it out very easily. It’s the type of track that would serve well as background music for a scene in some television show as it doesn’t really grab your attention in any particular way.
Symphony – Pretty strong pop production but I really hate the writing. It really sounds like the bland material found in American Idol coronation singles. It’s too bad because the track really is great to listen to. The strings are a great touch and Marie’s voice fits the song pretty well despite the heavy percussion. I would like this song a lot more if it weren’t for the lyrics.
Machine – This song has a darker feel and has a pretty good beat. What I found ironic about this song is the energy level of Marie’s voice as she sing’s “I’m not a machine”. She sings it so level that she actually sounds like a machine. I’m not sure if they were going for that kind of deep satirical irony but I doubt it. It was probably just a bad stylistic choice. She comes a little bit to life by the bridge.
Overboard featuring Livvi Franc – This is the only song on the album with a feature and to be quite frank it’s all a little bit bizarre. The chorus works pretty well, but neither singer feels like a good fit for the rock driven verses. Their voices just don’t have the right grunge to match. With better arrangement and instrumentation this could have been a more intriguing track but the rock influence nearly ruins it. I can understand their desire to try something new but I don’t think it worked well at all.
Love with a Stranger – The bass line is pretty interesting on this song. Coupled with the strings and piano it makes for a neat listen but some of the sound effects are a little over the top. It seems like Marie tried to stretch out a little bit on this song, trying new things but once again the results are a bit mixed though no where near as bad as on ‘Overboard’. In the end I like the song more than not but it’s kind of a weird ride. At the very least it’s intriguing.
Come to Life – I like how the song starts off with a string section but things quickly progress into weird territory. I don’t know why, but everytime I hear this song I think of Disney’s Pocahontas. Something about the melody and the flowery lyrics make it seem like they did a remix to the movie’s soundtrack. For that reason it’s hard for me to take this song seriously. I like elements of the song but it doesn’t really come together all that well.
Crazier Things – Being only the second song with an acoustic guitar driven melody, Marie definitely fits better on this track. However the chorus is a little too bubble gum pop for my tastes. Which pretty well summarizes the album in general, when one thing works in the song, another element holds it back. It’s a harmless song but it could have been done so much better.
Conclusion:
I hate to say it but I was pretty disappointed with this album. Marie Digby has gone in a very different direction with her music and pretty much all together abandoned her acoustic driven sound from her debut. Whether this was her decision, or pressure from her label, or what have you I believe it to be a change for the worse. Nearly everything I loved about Unfold is absent from this release and instead we are left with a very pop laden album. The biggest problem isn’t the shift in genre but more so in the now lack of charm and originality. The writing was pretty bland for the most part and at times entirely too syrupy. The production sounds like a bunch of left overs from Ryan Tedder and Timbaland’s repertoire, failing to stand out or really grab my attention. To be fair I understand that it’s all a matter of personal taste as I have a friend who much prefers this album to her debut but that’s something we disagree upon entirely. I can understand that perhaps Marie wanted to try something different and mix things up with this album, but I hope that it’s now out of her system and she’ll return to her unplugged style in the near future. This one’s for the devoted Marie Digby fan only.
Must Listen: Daybreak, Avalanche, Feel
a-Tunes Score: 6.5/10
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