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Review:
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The album’s rich rococo baroque artwork is set in the
Vienna of the mid 18th century, a time of hedonistic pleasure
and opulent romanticism, creating the perfect stage backdrop
for this debut by the gorgeous Australian singer songwriter
and pianist Amanda Bloom. Then upon that stage imagine Tory
Amos joining Evanescence with Haydn sitting at the piano
and you have some idea of her music. Amanda is a classically
trained pianist who wrote her first sonata at the age of
6, and her compositions have been performed at the iconic
Sydney Opera House. You get plenty of diversity, catchy
symphonic rock numbers ‘Rosetta’ and ‘Magdalene’, emotional
power ballads ‘Fallacy’ and ‘Leave Me Lightly’ (live video
on Female Voices blog), gentler songs ‘It Must Be the Living’
and ‘Beautiful Beautiful’, and classical pieces ‘My Heart,
My Master’, and ‘The Truth in the Sky’. The centrepiece
is the wonderful title track ‘The History of Things to Come’’
which reminds me of a mix of Al Stewart, Kate Bush and Rick
Wakeman, a truly dramatic and descriptive piece. All the
songs are packed with Amanda’s rippling piano and her vibrant
expressive voice. My only criticism is that most of the
meatier numbers are in the first half and it ends with a
couple of instrumentals (including an instrumental version
of the title track) which makes the album rather lopsided,
a couple of ‘Rosetta’ type numbers towards the end would
have given a better balance. The fact that Amanda is almost
unknown is scandalous, while talentless celebrities who
can’t sing like Cheryl Cole get £6 million contracts, artists
with genuine talent are hidden in the shadows. If you enjoy
any of the artists mentioned (apart from Cheryl Cole of
course!) then you will relish this album, waltz to http://www.myspace.com/themusicofamandabloom
for more information, a delightful 8.75 out of 10.
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