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Dido
Album: The Veronicas: The Secret Life Of
Street Date: February 14, 2006
Length: 42:34
Rating:
Reviewed by: Brian

Jess and Lisa Origliasso, better known as the Veronicas, are identical twins from Brisbane, Australia who have been making waves overseas with their album The Secret Life Of.... On Valentines Day 2006, the U.S. will be fully exposed to what the Veronicas have to offer. Here is an early taste of what to expect, as the tracks from the U.S. release are expected to be the same as those from the international release.

1. 4ever - "4ever" is the lead single from Secret Life Of..., and has been very successful overseas and is beginning to see success in the states as well. It is a fast-paced pop/rock song with a strong electric guitar driven beat. The best aspect of the song is its catchy hook. The song has a very carefree feel to it, while at the same time having solid, meaningful lyrics. Good song.

2. Everything I'm Not - Another pop/rock song, this time in a bit of a slower tempo with a hook and chorus that picks up and is once again catchy. The guitar work is nice. The first two songs remind me a bit of the Ashlee Simpson/Hilary Duff powerpop that has been in vogue the past few years. Good lyrical content here.

3. When It All Falls Apart - This is the third straight guitar driven track. Another mid-tempo track with a strong hook. The vocal abilities of Jess and Lisa have shown through pretty well on these first three tracks, which is good. Nice track.

4. Revolution - Another mid-to-fast placed track, this time with more of a technoish rock feel. The chorus is once again strong. Not the greatest song, but it's okay.

5. Secret - "Secret" bounces back and forth between a strings driven section with booming vocals and a jamming drum driven beat. The vocals are interesting. The way the song is put together, it is really kind of a funny song, whether it is intended to be or not is another story.

6. Mouth Shut - "Mouth Shut" features an interesting instrumental arrangement in a mid-tempo beat. The vocals and lyrics are very nicely done. This is one of the stronger songs on the CD.

7. Leave Me Alone - We go back to the guitar driven pop, but the song is a bit slower than the first three. As has been a running theme through the CD, "Leave Me Alone" has a strong hook. The whole song is well done. Sometimes the lyrics tend to drown into the music instead of standing out on their own, but it seems like the track has a bit of that club effect where the main lyrics will drown and there will be a strong repetitive lyric that plays through strong on the song.

8. Speechless - "Speechless" is a slowed down acoustic guitar driven track which is my favorite track from the CD. The vocals aren't as crisp as on some of the other songs, but the song has a much realer feeling to it, and the emotionality through the song shines through perfectly.

9. Heavily Broken - The instrumentals for "Heavily Broken" are awesome. It's an arrangement of strings over a slower backing beat, and it works very well. The chorus picks up and is once again rather catchy.

10. I Could Get Used To This - The instrumentals here are similar to those in "Secret," two rotating beats. The vocal and lyrical content is nice. Another catchy song on a very catchy album.

11. Nobody Wins - Another assorted strings track with some piano thrown in. A very elegant beat, it has a very flowing sound and mixes well with the lyrics and vocals. Good content lyrically, the vocal mixing is done well, also. A sobering song, but is a good one.

12. Mother Mother - "Mother Mother" is an interesting song which is actually a Tracy Bonham cover. It doesn't seem like a forte for the Veronicas, but it is nice to see them step out of the box a bit and go all out on the track.

Overall Impression:
There are only two songs on this CD which aren't that great, and one is a cover. The Veronicas original material is very catchy, and while at some points it sounds like the songs were cut from the fabric of what is currently popular in today's powerpop world, Jess and Lisa put their own spin on the songs to differentiate them from your typical cookie cutter imitators.

For more information on the Veronicas visit theveronicas.com.



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