Gabrielle - Gabrielle - (1996)[EAC-MP3@320KBPS]

Track list
Gabrielle - Gabrielle
01. Forget About The World (Version 1) 04:18
02. People May Come 04:32
03. I Live In Hope 04:10
04. Baby I've Changed 04:41
05. Give Me A Little More Time 04:54
06. If You Really Cared 04:54
07. There She Goes 04:02
08. Our Love Is Over 05:14
09. If I Could 04:47
10. Alone 03:12
11. Have You Ever Wondered 03:59
12. So Glad 04:06
13. Miracle 04:39
14. If You Ever (With East 17) 04:17
15. Walk On By 03:21
16. Forget About The World (Version 2) 04:22
Biography by Ed Nimmervoll
British house/R&B vocalist Gabrielle began her career singing for free in London
West End clubs whilst temping in offices during the day. Her big break came whe
n she recorded a demo, called "Dreams," based around Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car,"
which subsequently fell into the hands of an A&R man at London's Go! Beat recor
ds. The track was re-recorded without the Chapman sample and ended up in the Gui
nness Book of Hit Singles as the highest U.K. chart entry for a debut female act
, topping the charts for three weeks. With the hit came a head-turning image, co
mplete with kiss curls and sequined eye patch as Gabrielle's right eye has a dro
oped lid. Ignoring cosmetic surgery, she turned what might have been seen an ima
ge setback into a virtue that set her apart from the pack.
Her debut album, Find Your Way, sold over a million copies worldwide, and paved
the way for her sophomore, self-titled album, released in 1996 and produced by t
he Boilerhouse Boys. In three short years, those two albums and nine singles --
five of which were Top Ten -- established Gabrielle as the U.K.'s premiere soul
vocalist, full of classic soul connotations (Marvin Gaye, Barry White, Bobby Wom
ack) but also influenced by early-'80s British pop (Soul II Soul, Lisa Stansfiel
d, Mantronix).
In 2000, Gabrielle followed up with her appropriately titled third album, Rise,
which followed a difficult time for her personally and creatively. Widely public
ized reports concerning her ex-partner's criminal conviction threatened to overs
hadow her musical accomplishments, not to mention her creative potential. The so
ngs on Rise spoke of optimism, romanticism, devotion, and a keen survival instin
ct. The lead single, "Sunshine," was a spirited thank you to those friends you h
ave on hand to boost your confidence when you're low. The album's title track sa
mples Bob Dylan's classic "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" with his rare seal of appr
oval. 2001's world-wide hit "Out of Reach" was the feature track from the Bridge
t Jones's Diary soundtrack.
Review from Amozon
Gabrielle... The powerful opening of 'Forget About The World' sets the scene for
a very good album. The South-London pop/soul singer's second album has a comple
tely different focus to both its predecessor, Find Your Way, and the follow-up,
Rise, which are both far more pop-orientated.
On her self-titled album, Gabrielle has the most mature sound of the three album
s and on most tracks it pays off - 'Give Me A Little More Time' and 'If You Real
ly Cared' both sound like they come from the 60s and this is no criticism... aft
er the brilliant ballads of 'People May Come' and 'I Live In Hope', they are a w
elcome move back in time.
We then are transported back to the modern day with 'There She Goes' and 'Have Y
ou Ever Wondered', two of the catchiest pop songs I have ever heard. All these s
ongs have a distinctly acoustic sound to them until we hear 'If I Could' and 'Mi
racle' - much more reminciscent of the sound of the other two albums and a welco
me variation. Each of these songs is strong, catchy, yet not repetitive.
However, there are songs that have not been mentioned: 'Baby I've Changed' and '
Our Love Is Over' are dull and relatively tuneless - and on 'Alone', Gabrielle s
trives for maturity just too much and the simplicity of the bass/guitar/voice st
ructure does not fit the style of the album.
These are minor glitches. The album is generally good and minus those three trac
ks it is VERY good. If you have either 'Find Your Way' or 'Rise' and have enjoye
d them, this might not be exactly what you expect, but if you want the voice, wi
th slightly 'older' influences on it, this album will be perfect for you.
Enjoy.