Imogen Heap is a remarkably beautiful young woman with the voice of an angel. If you’re a fan of The O.C. (which I hate to tell you I’m not), you’ve heard her song “Say Goodnight and Go” already which should tell you what to expect. She is classically-trained, thoroughly melodic, has a synergistic relationship with modern music (most recently as the singer for Frou Frou), and has created an album that I rank among the best (and what I hope will be among the most popular) of 2005. Speak For Yourself is an instantly fun, catchy, memorable, and deeply listenable slice of Euro-pop that will shatter any illusion of peer. The 12 songs on the album cross a cinematic landscape of syn drums, effects, keyboards, and vocoder parts that are consistently hypnotic and lush. There’s no filler tracks — every song on this CD is not only enjoyable, it has the potential for success on the charts, in the clubs, rockin’ the iPod…everywhere.

As a vocalist, Imogen Heap has been compared to everyone from Kate Bush and Bjork to Annie Lennox. On Speak, she proves herself both a part of and apart from that group of women — this recording, as you will hear, has much more in common with Norwegian pop star Annie than with Annie Lennox. Where Annie is playful and teasing, Imogen is strong and decisive, creating an album that is alternately fueled by an aching warmth and an uneasy depth. Have a listen to this song, “Loose Ends”, and decide for yourself. Be sure and tell us what you think. I am not aware of what, if any, plans there are for U.S. distribution of this CD. If you know, please let me know — emails to management/publicity were not immediately returned.

You should also check out her video for “Hide and Seek”. Just scroll down the page and look in the right-hand side for the Video section to check it out, then
click here to purchase the single from iTunes.

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