FEATURE:
Second Spin
Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips
___________
THE year 2001…
IN THIS PHOTO: Sophie Ellis-Bextor in 2018/PHOTO CREDIT: Simon Flamigni/Getty Images
was one where Pop and Dance music was still really strong. With terrific albums from Destiny’s Child, Gorillaz, and Basement Jaxx out that year, there was plenty of energy and dancefloor motivation. I am a fan of what Sophie Ellis-Bextor does and, if you need some motivation, then check out her Kitchen Discos. Her most-recent album, Familia, arrived in 2016 and it received some of the best reviews of her career. I am not sure whether there is a new studio album coming soon but, as she is bringing out her Songs from the Kitchen Disco album soon, I think there is that impetus and energy for new music. As 2020 saw quite a few Disco-infused albums, I would not be surprised to see Ellis-Bextor following the likes of Kylie Minogue and Dua Lipa in creating her own Disco smash! Although there is a lot of love out there for her, I think Ellis-Bextor’s albums have divided critics. Her 2001 debut, Read My Lips, is one such album. After the disbandment of the Britpop group Theaudience (in which she served as vocalist), she was signed to Polydor. Read My Lips combines 1980s Electronica and 1970s Disco. Maybe one of Read My Lips’ problems is that it is fairly top-heavy. Opening with the single, Take My Home (it is a cover of the Cher song with lyrics rewritten by Ellis-Bextor), we get this cool and slinky moment that perfectly introduces the album.
Take Me Home was a chart success, and I really like Ellis-Bextor’s vocal on it. Some have said that her voice contains little pizzaz and personality but, in actuality, one gets plenty of emotions and there is a lot to love. Move This Mountain, and Take Me Home are singles that also performed really well; they are great songs that can get you moving. Sophie Ellis-Bextor co-wrote every song on Read My Lips, and I feel that is important when it comes to conviction and her connecting with the words she is singing. Maybe there are few moments on Read My Lips that match her 2000 collaboration with Spiller, Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love), but there is a lot to like on the album – that track was included on the 2002 reissues of Read My Lips. I think a lot of critics dismissed the album too quickly and missed out on some clear highlights. Music Gets the Best of Me, and The Universe Is You are bangers (I am quoting and following the 2002 reissue of Read My Lips). The original U.K. version of 2001 contains ten tracks, and it features the fantastic Leave the Others Alone, and Believe - though I would recommend people check out the 2002 reissue. I shall try not to switch back between 2001 and 2002, but the original release is packed with life and quality!
Maybe the final track or two are not as strong as the first three or four cuts, but Read My Lips is a great listen that will bring you plenty of oomph and energy! Even with the reissue out, there has not been much appraisal. I recall hearing Read My Lips when it came out in 2001, and I found plenty to enjoy. There have been a few positive reviews, but many have been mixed. This is what entertainment.ie observed in their review:
“Sophie Ellis-Bextor is currently being heavily promoted as Genuinely Posh Spice, a haughty English rose with an impeccably indie pedigree (she used to sing with theaudience) who now wants to be a proper pop star. Unfortunately, while she certainly looks the part, the material on her debut solo album only rarely does justice to her distinctive upper-crust voice. A mixture of 70s disco pop and moody 80s electronica, Read My Lips is certainly a polished package but most of the songs sound laboured and plod where they should swing. For now the verdict on Sophie Elllis-Bextor must be that the substance is still some way off the image”.
I would encourage critics and listeners to re-spin and spend some time with Read My Lips. The album reached number-two in the U.K., and it has since been certified double-platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). I think a few of the reviews were rather cold and cruel, so I reckon that now is a good time to check back on an album that turns twenty this year.
I will bring in a review that offers more positives. This is what Blue Coupe wrote in 2002:
“Read My Lips is worth a second run just to hear the splendid electric guitar and superb vocals of "Murder On The Dance Floor." Easily one of the best tracks, this catchy hymn, featuring Guy Pratt on guitar, is a charming piece that hooks you in, and halfway through you'll be reaching for the repeat button before it ends. "Murder" is so spellbinding, it will have you murmuring: "DJ, gonna burn this goddamn house right down," next time you're strolling into a masquerade ball.
If you are a sucker for well-produced soft tunes, "Is It Any Wonder," is astounding. Luxuriate in the lucidity of Ellis Bextor's quaint voice by turning this one up when cruising along the coastline in your convertible. (And if you have neither convertible nor coastline, it can help you pretend.) The mellow beat and soft melody makes this poignant ballad a delight to listen to. This song, about the joy of finding a soul mate, is rumored to have Moby involved in its production. In fact, Ellis Bextor has been working with Moby on five other songs that were left off this album due to time constraints.
In brief, Sophie Ellis Bextor's Read My Lips is stylish pop that has a delightfully wayward appeal. It lands somewhere between Pet Shop Boys' synth-pop faculty and Blondie's Parallel Lines album. Giving Read My Lips a comparison to the timeless Parallel Lines is an overly bold statement, because Read My Lips is no classic, but it's important to mention because of Ellis Bextor's comparable vocal style and composition.
Fans of "GrooveJet" should not expect much from this album, but it does deliver a dynamic electro disco sound that is sometimes analogous to her breakthrough-hit single.
There is pop music, and then there is "good" pop music. While Read My Lips is not brilliant, its urbane charm and infectious rhythms make this "good" pop music”.
If you get some time today, check out Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s impressive debut. Maybe she has released more rounded and consistent albums, but there are at least four or five huge songs on the album alongside a few other tracks which are really good. Read My Lips has plenty of cool and coo. There are these songs which put you in a better mood and provoke a lot of movement. I will be interested to see if Ellis-Bextor releases an album this year and does something akin to her what we heard in 2020 from the Disco queens. I am not sure whether she performs songs from Read My Lips when she tours and holds the songs in great affection. I have a lot of time for the album. It is one that got overlooked by some when it came out. I feel the 2002 reissue is a bit stronger but, looking at the 2001 original release, and it holds enough gold and interest to keep you listening. If you have not heard Read My Lips for a while or do not listen to Sophie Ellis-Bextor a lot, then I would adviser you spend a moment with a decent album and discover some of its fine moments. For those who have dismissed Read My Lips before, I would advise you…
GIVE it another try.