Send "Little Jackie " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 Hey, fun! We’ve been getting a lot of pop artists groping desperately for the ebullience of past generations and aesthetics ... and on first impressions, Made4tv seemed no different. The first track doesn’t bode well, and for that matter neither does the second: they both come on a bit too strong, by which I mean they come on loudly without having anything in their arrangements or performances to back the energy up. They don’t fare well lyrically, either—“31 Flavors” in particular seems like dressed-up titillation, with the kind of cheap “ow!” noises filling it out that feel tired in the retro-soul revival we’ve been witnessing in the last few years.But here’s the weird thing: not only does Made4tv gain hooks as it goes on (rare for a pop full-length these days, even a 40-minute one), but the arrangements get zestier, the lyrics get much wittier, and the singing meets its backing with a real offhand charm. It feels like a live show that starts off like a dud ... before all the players lock into comfortable step with each other. Not that there are a bunch of other players. Little Jackie is a duo, comprised of Imani Coppola (vox and word) and Adam Pallin (beats and arrangement). They had something of a hit in Britain back in ‘08 with “The World Should Revolve Around Me”, as precarious a title for a good song as “My Life Would Suck Without You”. Made4TV is their follow-up. Pallin’s arrangements are very ‘60s Motown—peppy horns, violin glissandos, all that good stuff—but what’s especially impressive is just how much spunk he manages to deliver with that aforementioned retro-soul sound that we’ve been hearing so much lately (not just the late Amy Winehouse, whom Coppola audibly resembles, but also the success of Cee-Lo’s “Fuck You” and many others). The thing is, these arrangements don’t sound like imitations of the Motown sound, even though they are—they sound like outright samples. That’s how well Pallin’s got the tone down: the saccharine strings, skipping xylophones (the transition into the last chorus of “Time of Your Life” is notably wonderful), horns that don’t sound overly-bombastic like most imitation does … it rarely feels redundant or at odds. Closer “Love Will Find Me” even makes use of the “Where Did Our Love Go” clap and manages to play it right; the chorus of “Fairy Tale Ending” conceals a violin flourish that many bigger names might not have bothered with. And damn if “Time of Your Life”—not dissimilar in beat and faded arrangement to Lily Allen’s classic “LDN”—doesn’t give me a legitimate “vacation in Naples” vibe. Sugar, this stuff....full text |
| Thesloppydog |
| But, resilient as ever, Little Jackie follow up the barbed magnificence of The Stoop with the independently-released Made For TV. And while its sudden appearance may be a surprise, the towering quality within is most definitely not. The rhythmic, frantic horns of Take Back The World sets the tone instantly, an album of bouncy brass covering subjects no-one else could even dare to pull off: from the acceptance of cougar status on 21st B-Day Party to the joys of a marriage of convenience on The Pact, it’s social commentary with an entirely individual voice....full text |
| Kickkicksnare |
| Thank goodness for more Little Jackie. Made For TV is the duo’s sophomore album following the outrageously infectious “The Stoop.” Imani Coppola’s lyrics and vocals combined with the production talent of Adam Pallin is an extraordinary thing. Sort of in the same vein of Inara George and Greg Kurstin of The Bird And The Bee; equal hum and sting. The LP was mixed by Howie Beno and Joshua Valleau and masterfully blends the music with the messaging that is as insightful as it is enjoyable to blast through your speakers and dance along to. Click here to stream Made For TV in its entirety and purchase, via Bandcamp....full text |
Little Jackie lyrics
|
| |||||||
