The Daily Spin, January 29
Jem | Finally Woken
Welcome back to the Daily Spin, the series in which I review 365 albums during 2023.
Each album will be given a rating on a scale from 0 to 10. You can look at the entire set here.
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Album: Finally Woken (2004)
Artist: Jem
Link:
Jem abides by the principle of “less is more” fairly often in this album, to both her credit and her detriment.
In a genre defined by bland sound, designed to be sonically appealing to as many people as possible, Jem fits right in, with smooth hooks and clean production that lends itself well to, say, a H&M dressing room.
Where Jem attempts to stand out is her soulful vocals, something she leverages to her advantage as frequently as possible, to mixed success. She’s undeniably talented, but too often falls into the trap of sounding a bit too much like Dido or Beth Orton - not necessarily a fault, but in searching for something to set her apart she’s made herself like other people.
The record is warm but never hot, it’s rich but never decadent, and that’s both its biggest strength and its biggest failing. It never oversteps what it’s meant to me, but it rarely ever innovates in a way that draws you in beyond the very surface level.
Rating: 6.6/10
Best Tracks: They; Just A Ride
Worst Tracks: 24; Stay Now