I hadn’t heard anything about Siobhan Donaghy for almost four years, so it really must have been a ‘twist of fate’ that led me to her MySpace page earlier this year. There, I heard an incomprehensible siren-like singing interwoven into an ethereally beautiful soundscape that got me instantly hooked. The song, called “Ghosts”, was a foretaste of the same-titled album, which has finally been released this week.
The pale teenage girl has turned into a beautiful woman, whose music doesn’t have much in common with the current sound of the Sugababes, her former band. Instead, it’s compared to the likes of Kate Bush and the henna-clad Madonna of the “Ray of Light” era (I’d also throw some Tori Amos in there). But “Ghosts” is telling its own tale, with electronic ambient sounds, dream-like melodies and of course Siobhan’s fantastic voice. Responsible for the blend is producer James Sanger.
I completely love the album! For me, there’s no weak track on it (except maybe “Sometimes” – it’s not bad, though, just not my kind of song). Looking at my iTunes playlist, I see four 4-star songs and a fantastic six 5-star songs. That’s 4.5 out of 5 Stardust Specks altogether! It’s hard to decide on favourite tracks, but at the moment I’d choose “Ghosts” and “Halcyon Days” (the latter reminding me of the wonderful “Teardrop” by Massive Attack).
After her last album wasn’t the hoped-for success, Siobhan got the boot by her then record company. I really hope that she won’t suffer the same fate with “Ghosts”, as it would be a shame to see safe mainstream pop prevail again over music that is so sophisticated and extraordinary as Siobhan’s. So listen to the album now (for example on iTunes or at her MySpace) – and if you like it, buy it!