378) Self Esteem - A Complicated Woman

I was fifty-five in December, my much better half says we are middle aged. We aren’t, I’m not making one hundred and ten. These reviews I mainly do indie music, that’s what I liked when I got into music it’s not going to change now. If I do make one hundred and ten, humour me, I’m hoping I am still sticking on The Fall and appreciating Mark E Smith’s snarl.

The surprise is I do not listen to new music, I know Taylor Swift is huge, my daughter played me Shake it Off, I get why she likes it but nah you are okay.

I was reading Louder Than War’s albums of the year and high up was Self Esteem A Complicated Woman. I had heard Self Esteem. Rebecca Taylor, on a podcast and thought she seemed down to earth and decent so I would give it a go, doubt it would be for me, but if I am living to this ripe old age I can spare forty-five minutes, and because I am old, I forgot to listen.

I was on YouTube and saw she was on Jools Holland and watched it, performing the final track off her new record, The Deep Blue Okay. enthralling performance (Self Esteem - The Deep Blue Okay (Later... with Jools Holland)), over just a hammering piano she delivers a striking vocal before her choir of backing singers join her and they never leave her, okay now I remembered to listen.

The choir open the record with I Do And I Don’t Care before Rebecca speaks to us “I’m Whingeing in a new way,” is a great line and we have the first time and certainly not the last that the word fuck comes into play. We are nearly three minutes in before she sings, but that does diminish a strong opening.

I am going to mention the choir a lot as they are all over this record, Focus is Power was the opening single and highlights her vocals and guess what, the choir, and Mother is minimal and stark. 

The Curse addresses alcohol, not everyone can say no, the chorus with or without the choir is wonderful and that word fuck is back big time as it is on Cheers To Me which I don’t think would be out of place on a prime Madonna album.

Self Esteem and The Damned are linked by Coronation Street The Damned sampled Albert Tatlock on Love Song and ex Corrie actress Julie Hesmondhalgh provides spoken words on Its Not Now, It’s Soon as Taylor sings around her.

Nadine Shah pops up on Lies which again storms it on the chorus and then we have 69 where she decides to rate sexual positions over an industrial beat, remember I’m fifty five I have not heard of half of them, but the magical choir are back at the end and u can’t help but admire her.

I’m not 100% there with all the songs but I didn’t expect to be but overall my understanding (probably wrong) is that this record is all about being a woman and not fitting in at times and in the opener she uses the line “Why am I such a coward,” based on this record she most certainly is not.

A wonderful surprise.

7.5/10

GIVE IT A STREAM: The Curse