Fiddle

Week 40: the Script- Tales from the Script

~ honestopinions19 ~ Leave a comment

I will do a track-by-track review of the Script’s first greatest hits album. I might add that I was disappointed that my favourite track, ‘the End Where I Begin’, wasn’t featured:

Breakeven:

This was their third single off the self-titled debut album and followed a specific song theme pattern. However, this track was more hard-hitting and spoke about one person from a former relationship “falling to pieces” and not wondering what to do while feeling choked up when the other seemed to be “okay” about the breakup. Danny O’Donoghue’s melancholic and heartfelt vocals deliver this song with conviction.

the Man Who Can’t be Moved:

The music video tied in brilliantly with the lyrics and the theme. Again, taken from the debut album, this track was the second single and depicts a man who will not move from the corner of the street until the woman he loves shows up and feels the same way. Indeed, the man in the song asks people to tell her where he is. This indicates a metaphor for being in a relationship. While it might be falling apart, the man will fight to show his heart is still in it. Again, Danny’s vocal delivery makes the song believable.

For the First Time:

This track would be the teaser for their second record, “Science & Faith”, released in the late summer of 2010. It stays within the songs off their debut album. Indeed, it might have been written back in 2007 when they went into the studio but wasn’t quite ready to feature on a record. The track is similar to ‘Breakeven’ again. It is aptly named because they fall back in love like it was for the first time. However, this time, there is still a relationship ongoing, albeit in a dire state, but both are willing to act like adults to make it work, which happens by the end of the track. Again, the lyrics are about fighting to save a relationship with lyrics like “Oh, these times are hard, yeah they’re making us crazy, don’t give up on me baby”.

Nothing:

The second single off, “Science & Faith”, ‘Nothing’ showcased Danny’s vocals with the ability to be a swooner and blend that with his forte of being heartbroken at the same time. The guitar riffs and the piano took you to a place where the Script had yet to achieve on their debut. 

Hall of Fame:

Taken from their 2012 and rightly named album “#3”, the band teamed up with Danny’s fellow mentor on the Voice and the Black-Eyed Peas member, Will.I.am. However, I am not a fan because, in general, I am not a fan of Will.I.am. He spoiled the latest Black-Eyed Peas album with that shitty software I can’t stand that alters your voice and makes it sound bloody awful rather than improving it. To think, Tupac was a fan of theirs back in the early 1990s. If Will weren’t on it, I would like it because, as usual, Danny’s singing and rapping are excellent.

If You Could See Me Now:

The third single from “3” is more about closure as the band discusses personal loss. Danny talks about losing his father on Valentine’s Day suddenly the previous year, and guitarist Mark Sheehan wanted the lyrics to include the loss of his mother after a long battle with a horrible illness a few months before Danny’s loss. Just listening to it, you could hear that the emotion was still raw and resonated with all of us when experiencing the feeling of losing someone close to us as well. A piano can be heard at the intro before Danny raps the opening verse. The tempo attracts your ear, and the lyrics make this a heartfelt song. The chorus is kind of catchy, albeit melancholic.

Superheroes:

The teaser for the 2014 album “No Sound without Silence”, Superheroes isn’t my bag, and I have never enjoyed the track.  It just didn’t have that get-and-go like their songs do. They just seemed too safe sonically. Lyrically? They are up there with their best.

Six Degrees of Separation:

The second single from “#3” is a masterpiece. It perfectly explains what we feel after breaking up with someone we fell deep for. Bizarrely, despite the topic, it is quite an uptempo ballad. The chorus is where Danny’s vocals spring to life as he delivers the details with raw emotion, and surprisingly, it is catchy for such a thought-provoking track.

Rain:

This would be the teaser for the record, taken from 2017’s “Freedom Child”. Again, another song of theirs I am not a fan of. I was impressed by Danny’s falsetto, but I don’t know. The track just didn’t fit at all.

Arms Open:

The second single from “Freedom Child” again is lyrically beautiful. The message is that it doesn’t matter if you are alone when dealing with something because there will always be someone to hug you through the bad times. I found the song to be a traditional song for the Script, and the stripped-back sound elevated Danny’s vocals while the listener could relax and feel at one with themselves. It is worth checking out the video where the band worked with the charity A Sense of Home, which helps children find homes who are too old to be in foster care.

the Last Time:

The teaser off their latest studio album, 2019’s “Sunsets & Full Moons”, was released in November, a few months before all this shit happened across the world. As the title suggests, it deals with one of the lovers feeling like they are seeing the other one “for the Last Time”. The band sure knows how to draw the listener in with the relevant topics and the catchy melody, and of course, Danny’s vocals make this another great track by the Script.

Run Through Walls:

It is the second single off the aforementioned album. Once again, it was a brilliant subject and lyrics by the band. Just read this from the chorus; “I’ve got friends that will run through walls, I’ve got friends that will fly once called when I’ve got nowhere left to go, and I need my heroes, I’ve got friends that will run through walls”. Have you read them? Catchy as fuck, wonderfully executed with falsetto vocals, and what a beautiful message about the real ones who have your back and who are not related to you. The first verse addresses how true friends have saved his life (Whoever that is, I am not sure of because the band share ideas, melodies, and lyrics together.), and the second verse, the death of his mother, is brought up, and how the real ones were there and helped him through it.

Before the Worst:

The final single off the self-titled debut album again shows Danny’s vocal ability. It is about a boyfriend trying to return to the point of the relationship where everything was right and they were happy. The lyrics are typical heart-wrenching verses and choruses by the band. I also felt it sounded (in the chorus at least.) melodically like Kate Bush’s ‘Running up that Hill(A Deal with God)’. Yes really. Pay close attention to Danny’s delivery next time.

We Cry:

The teaser off their debut album, and as you have already worked out, the single that started it all. It caught your ears back in 2007 because there was no band coming out of Ireland who mixed guitar music with rapping (Sorry if I have made a mistake there. I think the rapper Redzer might have done that. I am not sure at the time of writing.), and that was refreshing to hear. Now, at the time, I listened to this song unconsciously, and my interest came in when ‘the End Where I Begin’ was featured on a FIFA console game soundtrack. The track has many different characters talking about their struggles, from a teenage single mother to a drug addict, et cetera. Danny described the melancholic song as people who are all experiencing hardships coming to cry together and, therefore, sharing the burden. 

Science & Faith:

The title track off the 2011 album would be their last single. The song is up there as a fan favourite because it is a wonderfully composed love song. The lyrics are always the standout and why the band is well respected. It talks about finding “the one” and how, even though there are bumps along the way, you are destined to stay together until the end, which is quite a surprise from most tracks by the Script. I heard this song is written from Mark Sheehan’s point of view. Considering the song’s name, it all makes sense and falls into place. 

No Good in Goodbye:

The second single from the 2014 album “No Sound without Silence” made my ears prick up. I love the wordplay used in the chorus and the metaphors in the verses. Again, the band touches on heartbreak and how to overcome it. The chorus was melodically similar to Duran Duran’s ‘Ordinary World’.

Never Seen Anything “Quite Like You”:

A surprise on “Tales from the Script”. This is the first and only track not to be released as a single. It is taken from the 2014 record “No Sound without Silence”. Many may disagree with me, but I heard elements of Ben Folds Five and fellow Irish band the Corrs. I could imagine Sharon Corr playing the fiddle and Ben on the piano. This love ballad is upbeat, and you can imagine this being played on St Paddy’s Day with everyone clad in green, stamping their foot, and clapping in time with the beat. Even the Script can write upbeat songs once in a while.

I Want it All:

It’s the exclusive teaser for this very album. The song contains all the elements associated with the band, and as usual, the lyrics stand out and pull away at your heartstrings. The music is sad yet subtle and goes along slowly, which is appropriate for an album closer. Danny’s vocals are once again on point even after two years out, and of course, the current climate prevents the band from touring all of last year and some of this year. His voice hasn’t waned during that period, nor have the band gotten rusty or lost their edge. Expect this one to feature in their live shows coming up shortly.

Song recommendations: ‘No Good in Goodbye’, ‘Never Seen Anything “Quite Like You”‘, ‘Run Through Walls’

9/10

Week Forty: Shania Twain- Now

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Swingin’ with My Eyes Closed: 

We start the record with a typical Shania Twain track that fits into her 1990s sound with a short guitar riff. Still, rather than the guitars playing throughout the song like they would have done back then, they gradually fade before you can hear what sounds like steel drums taking centre stage and taking us somewhere else that we would never expect Shania to take us with. I’ve never listened to a Shania Twain track so far removed from the country as this. It’s like a country and calypso-infused sound.

Home Now: 

Ah, now we are back to the typical Shania Twain sound as her country roots come to the fore with this track that features banjos, fiddles and guitars. A song that you would hear in Nashville bars.

Light of My Life: 

As you can guess from the title, this track is about romance and is sung by Shania in narrating mode rather than a personal experience of hers (Who knows? Maybe it is her own experience.), where she takes on the role of a secret admirer expressing their feelings to a crush who is blissfully unaware. You could say that the song is a bit like the Police’s “Every Breath You Take” as it is rather sinister and unsettling that the secret admirer will reject all other offers in the hope of getting with the crush who has no idea of their existence. The song is wrapped around drum loops and the melancholic chords associated with songs such as this (Or, in the case of this track, just the one in Em.). The chorus, though, sees Shania deliver a fantastic hook that has been absent for twenty years in her songs of late.

Poor Me: 

This song is very personal, and Shania proceeds to tell the story of her divorce that happened almost ten years ago and how her heart took ages to sew back together (Naturally). There are some powerful lyrics in this one, and it even mentions that she caught him out lying and how he could leave Shania for another woman. In the short chorus, she seems to be forgetting about all the pain and asking the listener, who must be the person behind the bar hearing this story, to pour her another. So, yeah. This song is seen from the perspective of Shania drowning her sorrows and pouring her heart out to the person behind the bar who keeps filling up her glass when she requests.

Who’s Gonna Be Your Girl: 

I loved the background vocals in this sappy love song that opened with tremolo guitar and built up nicely into the very harmonious chorus.

More Fun: 

Another track that showed Shania’s versatility as an artist. This track would look good on Broadway and in London’s West End with thumping piano and Cabaret sound throughout. I can’t imagine it ever being a single because of this, but it does work, and who cares what those who dictate their record collection by what’s in the mainstream charts think, anyway.

I’m Alright:

 It looks like a follow-up to “Poor Me” as Shania foretells what unravelled after the divorce and breakup with her ex-husband while a soft acoustic guitar accompanies a thumping drum beat. The actual moment of the song, though, is when the sound of thundering hand claps meets the chorus, which she does acapella, as you would hear at a gospel church service.

Let’s Kiss and Make up: 

Well, another song that showcases her will to experiment as we now hear a track with a reggae and calypso sound that makes you feel that you are on a Barbadian beach until you are greeted by the guys you hear on the Doritos advert in the shape of Mexican band, the Mariachis as you can listen to all the horns ring out in the chorus.

Where Do You Think You’re Going: 

This track could easily feature as part of an official soundtrack with its angelic chorus and the fact it is a piano ballad with sublime vocals by Shania.

Roll Me on the River: 

Wow. Taken by surprise with this song. Don’t forget that Shania is originally a country artist, but this song should have Ladysmith Black Mambazo with its sounds of Africa.

We Got Something They Don’t: 

A track very much harking back to a vintage Shania love song. You have thumping percussion, a smooth bass line and many horns. I also noticed a very Michael Jackson-esque harmony on the outro, and you have to wonder, is Shania paying some homage to Michael?

Because of You: 

Yes, it is named after a Kelly Clarkson song, but no, it is not in the same vein. Instead, Shania has gone for a sentimental love song with this. It is dedicated to her current lover and sees her finally recovering from the heartache of a failed marriage. She mentions in the lyrics, “Because of you, I’m me”. This suggests that she has finally rediscovered herself through her new flame after all that happened. The song is completed with soft acoustic guitar playing, and I imagine that the drummer used brushed drumsticks, as the drums are soft, too.

You Can’t Buy Love: 

A song about how to deal with and overcome all those tricky situations we all incur at some point along our road in life. It features hand claps, several harmonies and a jolly chord progression that envelopes itself in the primary melody.

Life’s About to Get Good: 

As you can see from the title, the premise is that Shania is walking away from her past and heading towards the here and now. This track was released to tease the album, and I can see why that was. This song is not only uplifting and full of optimism but is undoubtedly ready for the arena when she heads out on tour with its anthemic country hooks accompanied by a rather unusual taste of electronica pop. Looking at my research, I also discovered this song scored her a first top 40 billboard chart hit in well over a decade. Did Shania have a premonition when she wrote and recorded this track?

Soldier: 

Ah, another song that has a familiar theme across the pond. A loved one expressing how much they miss the soldier who has been away on a tour of some war-torn country for longer than the narrator here finds necessary (Is any war needed? In my own opinion, they are all fucking bollocks created by idiots who want to steal another country’s oil. Too much? I don’t fucking care. That should be accurate for those who are wide awake. Anyway, back to the song and off politics (How ironic. The song is political, anyway.), this heavily keyed piano ballad and Shania’s emotional and soaring vocals completed with strings could well be used as a track for a film about the subject or maybe even a drama on HBO? It’s a highly emotional song and does more than justice on the subject.

All in All: 

The title suggests that this track summarises all the feelings she has laid bare on the record. Indeed, it is her reminiscing and looking forward to all the good and bad times she will cross along her path. This coming-of-age track features a nice guitar riff with an eighties feel. I was surprised that the record ended in a mid-tempo vain when I was expecting a very soft piano ballad.

Overall:  Fucking hell. We discovered an awful lot about the trials and tribulations of Shania on this record. I will not lie that some of the tracks affected me (So what? I get emotional. I write poetry, so I can relate.). The lyrics were both uplifting, emotional, melancholic and eye-opening. Especially “Poor Me”, where it’s all aired about how she felt

during her divorce and the events that lead up to it. I was surprised to hear Shania deviate from country and rock to venture into reggae, calypso, gospel, rnb and electronica. Not to mention the sounds inspired by Africa where it would have been wholly appropriate to feature Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Labi Siffre, Baaba Maal, I could go on and on (Yes, I know my African musicians and bands. Surprised? Don’t be. I have a very eclectic taste.). It certainly was a departure from what we all became accustomed to during the early years of her time in the music industry. Some tracks could feature in films or the type of dramas you see on HBO. Now, that does show her diversity. She should have ended the record with a light piano ballad, which would have been perfect. As we know, the final track is titled “All in All”, so when we summarise events that have happened, we tend to talk about them calmly and soothingly rather than raising our voices in anger. That would have made for a better ending. All in All (Excuse the pun.) Shania is back and more than capable of producing another brilliant album when she is ready to return to the studio. A side note from this, Richard Ashcroft was on Twitter talking about how Liam Gallagher’s debut album was number one. I corrected him and said that was currently Shania Twain’s record, to which he replied, “That don’t Impress Me Much”. 9/10