Dido - Safe trip home Review

Dido's measured restraint can sometimes be a drag. But on her third album, that reserve seems just about right for a set of chilly songs that are all about feeling distanced — some of them about mere lost love, some about greater griefs, like her father's recent death. ''Don't look me in the eye more than you need to,'' she coos considerately; meanwhile, Safe Trip Home's co-producer, Jon Brion, masterfully adds brooding strings that suggest deeper passions at play beneath the resignation. The emotion in these sad, subtle songs seems inherent enough, though you may still find yourself wishing she'd allowed the slightest hint of it to creep into her voice. B...full text This is all Eminem's fault. He took a meek British singer conversant in Sarah McLachlan's lilting atmospherics, sampled her misty purr on "Stan" (the one about homicidal, copycat fans), and scarred her for life. Dido's third solo album reveals an unyielding fear of intimacy, her mellow trip-pop (coproduced by Jon Brion) buckling underneath sadness and alienation. "When I don't believe in love / You're too close to me / It's why you have to leave," she frets on opener "Don't Believe in Love." Girl, there's a couch out there with your name on it....full text The story of singer Dido is similar to those of the other pop performers and different from them at the same time. On the one hand, as many of her colleagues, she got fond of music quite early, left school and learned to play musical instruments. On the other hand, the main popularity came to her when rapper Eminem made a sample out of the first verse of her single Thank You and they remain friends until now, a fact that far from everyone on the pop scene could boast. The singer’s debut album No Angel of 1999 and the sophomore effort Life For Rent of 2003 have turned to be among the best selling albums in her native Great Britain and there is nothing surprising in that. Her soft vocals, not the most powerful, but very pleasant and able to render rather strong emotions have become Dido’s calling card. After a five year hiatus it is finally time for her third album called Safe Trip Home. In 2006 Dido’s father died and that was probably the reason for numerous release delays. The theme of her father’s death runs through the whole record which on the whole proves to be as beautiful, melancholic and full of reflections as Dido’s both previous works.
Classic love songs and personal compositions Safe Trip Home

Album Safe Trip Home was recorded in London and Los-Angeles in Jon Brion’s small studio, and with the participation of Brian Eno, Questlove, the singer’s brother Rollo Armstrong and other musicians. It contains the classic sad love songs that Dido is always inclined to write and perform and some very personal compositions devoted to her deceased father. The opener Don't Believe In Love is the first single off the album and a beautiful vulnerable song about how hard it is to build a relationship. Quiet Times is refined with soft guitars and drums that underline the singer’s vocals and composition Never Want To Say It's Love surprises with a great arrangement. The song on which the main album theme is concentrated is a most beautiful Grafton Street, a collaboration with Brian Eno on which Dido’s vocals combines with stunning Irish flutes and a contagious beat provided by drummer Mick Fleetwood. A quiet, tranquil love confession Look No Further sounds so fragile that one realizes at once that the heroine’s newly found happiness is very important for her. A mid-tempo track Us 2 Little Gods is an example of interesting lyrics telling a story of two lovers while a slow The Day Before The Day and Let's Do The Things We Normally Do refined with wonderful fiddles are again devoted to the singer’s father. A duet with Citizen Cope Burnin Love pleases with the combination of two most beautiful voices and the album closer is one of the best compositions here, Northern Skies, a nine minute long, mysterious traveling to the North accompanied by a mesmerizing beat and fantastic audio effects....full text