Out 6th June
Medication Time is the debut album from Scarlette Fever and promises to showcase the rising pop starlet who's set to tour with Mike and The Mechanics this spring.
The album, which is named after Nurse Ratched's mantra in One Flew Over The Cookoo's Nest, opens with Scarlette's most memorable and thoughtful pop anthem and her first single, Crash and Burn.
An inspiring track with a carpe diem message, written after Scarlette lost a friend to breast cancer.
Followed by the equally catchy Black and White, Scarlette's follow-up single, the album threatens overkill of the pop factor before taking on a less aggressive approach with the bluesy, 90's inspired pop track that puts you in mind of something All Saints (or really any of the innumerable 90's girl bands) may have come up with back in the day.
Tracks like this feel warmly familiar and will no doubt appeal to the current generation of tweenies who hopefully haven't become to savvy to appreciate a good pop song when they hear one.
Following the same genre and audience, tracks like Good Day are perfect 'crying into your pillow' songs. You can almost hear the sobs following the key change as Scarlette sings charmingly sweet lyrics like, "It was a good day, shame about the weather."
Face the Facts follows the movie theme. Inspired by Lost in Translation, the track was originally called Scarlett Johansson and has a dramatic build-up and sense of urgency.
Continuing the cinematic theme of the album, the haunting You Don't Know My Name features a sample from John Barry's Midnight Cowboy soundtrack who gave his rare permission to Scarlette and the co-writer of the song, Grant Black, Barry's godson.
Impressed with the track Barry allowed Scarlette Fever to use Give me a Smile, an instrumental that appears as a hidden track at the end of the album with lyrics from Don Black, Grant's father.
The album offers an eclectic mix of influences from motown to blues and is complimented by anthemic chord changes and hooks and driving guitars.
As for showcasing Scarlette Fever to potential fans, Medication Time fails somewhat. If you hadn't heard of Scarlette Fever before, you'll probably be more confused about who she is and what she does after listening, and not in a 'she's so original, she's impossible to pigeonhole' way - it's quite the opposite.
We want to compare her to the likes of Florence Welsh, her bright red hair (on the cover of the album at least), age and anti-Barbie image would suggest she would encourage it, but she's not unusual or arty enough for that. Nor is she doing pop in a post-modern, 2011, ironic way like Katie Perry or Lady Gaga.
The album artwork is confusing at best, with Scarlette looking like two completely different people on the front and back covers.
Styling with feather bowers, tassels and jewel studded basques suggest the record label are trying to drive Scarlette Fever to a gay or teenage fan base but the honesty and maturity in Scarlette's lyrics suggest this undermines her talent and she would be much more at home on a darkened bar stage, with an understated spotlight, an acoustic guitar and an album to match.
Watch Scarlette Fever's stripped back acoustic set with Female First here.
FemaleFirst Antonia Charlesworth
Tagged in Scarlette Fever