Helen Boulding - Calling All Angels (Album Review)
Monday, 30 July 2012
Written by V O'Hagan
Helen Boulding released her second album ‘Calling All Angels' on the 16th July.
Boulding is obviously a very talented songwriter, she’s penned songs for countless artists and film scores, and has even written with Pink Floyd’s Rich Wright. 'Calling All Angels' is a pleasant enough listening experience, the songs are three-minute snippets of sugary loveliness, the kind of solid pop that you would expect from a songwriter of Boulding’s experience and expertise. That being said, I can’t help but feel that this album is missing a spark. Most of the songs are a bit underwhelming and forgettable, but there are a few diamonds amongst them to show us what Boulding is capable of when she get's it right.
'Crooked Tooth' is a stand-out track, Boulding’s voice is breathless and silky like Kim Deal with a cold. 'Glorious' is floaty and light, whilst 'Something To Believe In' relies on the far-away beauty of Boulding’s voice and some light piano, leading to a ghostly chorus. 'The Innocents' is a lovely first single too, brimming with naive optimism.
One of the main problems with the album is that Boulding has tried to add interest and excitement to the songs with synths and electronic drumbeats, channeling the likes of Bat for Lashes, Dubstar and Sneaker Pimps, but the songs don’t need this type of influence. The synths are too weak to add punch and they don’t make the songs any more interesting, they simply detract from the simplicity of Boulding’s voice and lyrics. Her songs fare far better when they are allowed to speak for themselves with no frills attached, and the stand-out tracks are those that allow Boulding to channel some emotion and vulnerability. As lovely as Boulding's angelic optimism is, it seems to me that the most bouncy tracks are the most forgettable, they lack substance and dissolve like sugar.
Helen Boulding has a huge talent for songwriting so it's a shame that 'Calling All Angels' isn't quite the album that it could have been.
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Boulding is obviously a very talented songwriter, she’s penned songs for countless artists and film scores, and has even written with Pink Floyd’s Rich Wright. 'Calling All Angels' is a pleasant enough listening experience, the songs are three-minute snippets of sugary loveliness, the kind of solid pop that you would expect from a songwriter of Boulding’s experience and expertise. That being said, I can’t help but feel that this album is missing a spark. Most of the songs are a bit underwhelming and forgettable, but there are a few diamonds amongst them to show us what Boulding is capable of when she get's it right.
