Review by John Bush
On a first listen to Kate Nash's debut Made of Bricks, it's easy to hear the similarities to her contemporaries (Lily Allen, the Streets, Amy Winehouse) and influences (Björk, Robbie Williams). Her most popular songs are both intimate and confrontational, using brief portraits and slang-conversational vocals to illustrate the larger issues going on -- the dinner party that exposes a crumbling relationship on 'Foundations' or the futility of using 'Mouthwash' as a defense against feelings of low self-worth. The music is explosive and sample-driven, but with plenty of ties to contemporary pop, such as the frequent piano runs and occasional chamber brass or woodwinds. Spend time with this album, however, and Nash is revealed as much more than the sum of her parts. First, she's an excellent songwriter who illustrates her tales of romantic woe and inadequacies with grace and many subtleties. (It's easy to see why Allen saw Nash not as a rival but a fellow artist, and how the two quickly became friends.) Nash's frequent sing-speak vocals and rather, erm, direct manner on some songs ('Dickhead,' 'Shit Song') are what most naysayers immediately point to, but her quiet rage on the former track is tremendously effective. Still, what impresses the most about Made of Bricks are her deft sketches of deteriorating relationships, whether they're being loudly destroyed ('Foundations' again) or wryly and tenderly closing ('Birds'). Nash has plenty of maturation to do as a songwriter and performer, but she shows considerable promise on this debut.
| Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 01:12 | ||
| 2 | Paul Epworth / Kate Nash | 04:05 | |
| 3 | 05:02 | ||
| 4 | 03:43 | ||
| 5 | 04:25 | ||
| 6 | 04:34 | ||
| 7 | 04:16 | ||
| 8 | 03:05 | ||
| 9 | 03:00 | ||
| 10 | 05:07 | ||
| 11 | 04:06 | ||
| 12 | 05:27 | ||
| 13 | 05:56 | ||
| 14 | Paul Epworth / Kate Nash | 03:37 |
- Features Song Lyrics for Kate Nash's Made of Bricks album. Includes Album Cover, Release Year, and User Reviews.
- Kate Nash; Album Girl Talk; Licensed to YouTube. 12 videos Play all Kate Nash - Made Of Bricks Devilin Pixy; I hate seagulls - Kate Nash + lyrics - Duration: 4:33.
Kate Nash Made Of Bricks Albums
Kate Nash Albums
Albums: Kate Nash - Made Of Bricks. Every cloud, so they say, has a silver lining. About 18 months ago, Kate Nash was a teenager from Harrow, moping round her house after being rejected by Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. She fell down a flight of stairs, broke her foot and was confined to bed for a number of weeks. Made of Bricks is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Kate Nash, released in the United Kingdom on 6 August 2007 by Fiction Records, Cherrytree Records, and the Universal Music Group. View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2007 CD release of Made Of Bricks on Discogs.
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