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AMAZING ALBUM ALERT: ASHLEY ROBERTS – ‘BUTTERFLY EFFECT’. THE FORMER PUSSYCAT DOLL UNLEASHES HER DEBUT ALBUM!
Former Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts has been relatively quiet since the demise of the iconic girl group group a few years ago, but came out of left field earlier this year with the incredible single ‘Clockwork’. The brooding power ballad had us singing into our hairbrushes with clenched fists and pained expressions on more than one occasion, but now Ashley is ready to unleash her debut solo album ‘Butterfly Effect’ upon the world and MP! is on hand to guide you through the best bits… Hurrah!
First up… Best song for feeling empowered first thing in the morning?
Follow up single ‘ Woman Up’ is easily the album’s girl power moment. It’s a brash, uptempo number featuring lots of horns – 2014 is THE year of the horn after all – and the infectious “woman up, woman up!” chants can’t fail to get you turbo charged for the day. We like.
Is there a tear-stained ballad to wave your phone along to in a crowd?
‘Standing in the Rain’ is probably one of the soppiest offerings on the album but, being the complete emotional wrecks that we are here at MP!, this one got us right in the feels. The piano led ballad steadily builds up into a swirl of 80s style, cascading synths and reverb-soaked drums as Ashley delivers that massive chorus “Oooooh, it’s like I didn’t know your naaaame, but still I carried all your paaaain…”. It’s totally over the top of course, but that’s why we love it.
Best song to soundtrack a sad montage in a film?
Album closer ‘Face of Love’ dials the energy right back down with pensive pianos, strings and acoustic guitars and no production tricks and wizardry to be found. It’s a delicate ballad full of Sad Face lyrics about luuurve and heartbreak (obviously) and we can totally imagine this featuring on the soundtrack to films like ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ or ‘Divergent’ as a character sits alone contemplating life. We might need some tissues afterwards though…
Are there any slinky slow jams to get down to?
One of the coolest tracks to be found here is the minimalist ‘All In A Day’, a slow burning electronic R&B jam built around a sample of old school jazz ballad ‘What a Difference a Day Makes’, and which sizzles hotter than a sausage on a BBQ. Ooh er.
And what about a song that’s the aural equivalent of flipping the bird to an ex?
The rock tinged ‘My Song’ is a fierce post-break up anthem and the fist-pumping chorus full of screwed up vocals and stabbing guitars is the perfect dressing down to any ‘haterz’ or pesky exes that may impinge on your good time. Ain’t no one got time for that…
Best thing about the album?
This is the most eclectic sounding pop album you’ll come across this year. Ashley clearly has plenty of musical influences and it shows on the album, which is a melting pot of R&B, pop, rock and everything in between. The ‘Clockwork’ singer also gets a chance to demonstrate some impressive vocal chops too, proving that Nicole Scherzy wasn’t the ONLY Pussycat Doll with a decent set of pipes waiting to come out.
Overall we reckon Ashley has pulled it out of the bag with ‘Butterfly Effect’. It’s a pop odyssey from start to finish jam packed with some of the shiny-est, well produced tune-age you’ll hear all year. Tracks like ‘Clockwork’, ‘Standing In The Rain’ and ‘Lonely Nights (Hey You)’ definitely deserve to be big hits and, as her first ever full length introduction, the album proves Ms. Roberts is here for the long haul. Woman up indeed!
MP! Rating: 8/ 10