FEATURE:
Vinyl Corner
Róisín Murphy - Overpowered
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ON 5th July…
IN THIS PHOTO: Róisín Murphy in 2018/PHOTO CREDIT: Damon De Backer for Enfnts Terribles
Róisín Murphy celebrates her birthday (it is random, but I just wanted to throw it in!). I am a huge fan of her work, and I have been invested since she was a member of Moloko. I think there is a difference between what she was doing with Moloko compared to her solo stuff. To me, Murphy climbed to new heights when she went solo and, on her second studio album, Overpowered, she hit a new peak! I would urge people to buy it on vinyl, as it a tremendous album that proves there is nobody like Róisín Murphy in the music world. Released on 11th October, 2007, Overpowered was a more successful follow-up to her debut, Ruby Blue – that was a pretty terrific album. I am not sure why Overpowered was not shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, as it fully warranted inclusion – that was rectified when Murphy’s third album, Hairless Toys, was nominated in 2015. Maybe the fact that there was a big gap between Overpowered and Hairless Toys meant that Murphy could craft this layered and detailed album; Overpowered, to me, is as strong as Hairless Toys, and I am glad that a lot of critics provided positive reviews when it was released. It was in 2006, when she was promoting Moloko’s greatest hits album, that she announced a second solo album was coming. Murphy signed to EMI in 2006, and Overpowered is a bigger, more Disco-influenced album that Ruby Blue. There was a bigger budget this time around, and I think Murphy sounds more confident and ambitious on her second solo album.
On future albums, Murphy would streamline regarding the number of writers she worked with, but I think a more collaborative sound works for Overpowered. Murphy definitely wanted to make a different record to her debut, and something different to what she did with Moloko. Overpowered starts incredibly with the title track and then You Know Me Better. Let Me Know and Movie Star are terrific singles, and there are wonderful deeper cuts throughout – Dear Miami and Scarlet Ribbons are songs that warrant closer inspection and are tremendous albums cuts. Overpowered has eleven tracks, and all of them last over three minutes. There is no excess at all, and the album consists these incredibly strong tracks that are allowed to breathe and roam. Murphy’s voice is electric and stunning throughout, and I think Overpowered is one of the best albums of that decade (the ‘00s). As mentioned, it would be a while until we saw a third solo record, but I think Murphy did not want to repeat herself for Hairless Toys; she is an artist who creates these unique albums and wants to make sure everything she puts out is as great as it can be. Take Her Up to Monto, released in 2016, is Murphy’s latest studio album, and she has released singles since then. I cannot wait until we get another album from her, as Murphy is in a league of her own. I have a lot of affection for Overpowered – as did many critics.
This is AllMusic’s review of a huge album:
“Arty, cerebral, and sometimes downright kooky, Róisín Murphy zigs where other British pop singers zag. She's been one of pop's best-kept secrets since Moloko disbanded, edging her way toward a sound that isn't exactly mainstream but will give her the more widespread acclaim she deserves. For her first solo album, Ruby Blue, she collaborated with producer Matthew Herbert, who streamlined her sound into something creative but not gratingly quirky; even though "Rama Lama" ended up on So You Think You Can Dance, of all places, Ruby Blue wasn't quite a smash success. This time, Murphy teamed with Bugz in the Attic's Seiji, Groove Armada's Andy Cato, All Seeing I's Parrott & Dean, and Jimmy Douglass -- all forward-thinking producers, but with more conventionally pop sounds than Herbert's approach. Of course, by the late 2000s, even the most mainstream singles had at least a few unique production flourishes, so while Overpowered is without a doubt Murphy's most straightforward music yet, she hasn't sacrificed much to make it that way. With its sleek beats, bubbling synths, and nagging chorus, "Overpowered" closely resembles a state-of-the-art pop single, but the way Murphy sings of science and oxytocin over a heart-fluttering harp is unmistakably her. The rest of Overpowered follows suit, giving familiar sounds clever twists that will please longtime Murphy fans and win new ones. The effortless "You Know Me Better," "Let Me Know," and "Checkin' on Me" are chilly yet soulful, touching on disco, house, and '80s pop; "Movie Star" is Murphy's spin on Goldfrapp's glossy glam pop (and the only time she seems in danger of being overpowered by someone else's sound on the album).
Even though these songs are immaculately crafted, there's plenty of life -- and Murphy's personality -- in them. "Primitive"'s synths and strings flit around like mosquitoes in a swamp as she wails "I need to let you out of your cage," while "Dear Miami"'s deadpan delivery and spare beats make it possibly the frostiest song ever written about global warming. Overpowered often feels less intimate than Ruby Blue, but that's a minor quibble, especially when "Scarlet Ribbons" shows off Murphy's tender side and the outstandingly crisp, bouncy, and sassy "Footprints" and "Body Language" rank with her best songs. Aptly enough for such a pop-focused album, nearly every song on Overpowered sounds like a potential smash hit. Even if this album is a bid for the big time, it's done with such flair that it just underscores what a confident and unique artist Murphy really is”.
Overpowered still sounds fresh today, and I have been playing the album a lot lately. I am not sure what Róisín Murphy’s secret is, but she has this pull and panache that you do not get from anyone else! I think Overpowered is among her strongest work, and I think it sounds terrific on vinyl! I want to source from one more interview before wrapping things up. This is what The Guardian wrote when they tackled Murphy’s second solo album:
“But Roisin was always far closer in spirit to Bjork than Kylie. After a personal and professional split with Brydon, she chose to work with visionary art-jazz producer Matthew Herbert for her first solo album, 2005's Ruby Blue, on the kind of ambitious avant-pop hybrid that gets Bjork rapturous acclaim, but only got Murphy... well, a deal with EMI, at least, who thankfully recognised a genuine maverick when they heard one.
nspired by the Eighties proto-house of D Train, Mantronix and Gwen Guthrie, but often sounding a dead-ringer for Yazoo, early Eurythmics and rave-era dance-popsters Electribe 101, Overpowered's bubbling, sensual, and soulful glitterball gems effortlessly tap into the perennial glory of feeling lost and lonely at the disco at the end of the world. If it feels like Murphy is singing about, and to, Mark Brydon on the likes of 'You Know Me Better' and 'Movie Star', then the deep beats, lush synths and subtle horns and strings provided by male producers/co-writers including Jimmy Douglass, Groove Armada's Andy Cato and Richard X work overtime to establish Murphy as sole captain of her own swish and swoony destiny.
As closing ballad 'Scarlet Ribbons' wends its gently reggae-fied way to the sweetest of endings, you realise that you've just been dreamily immersed in the best grown-up dance-pop album since Madonna's Ray of Light. Yep - that good. I hope Ireland doesn't get too offended if Britain comes to its senses and recognises Roisin Murphy as a National Treasure”.
If you need a vinyl recommendation, then I would point you in the direction of Róisín Murphy’s incredible Overpowered. It is a masterful album from an artist who seems to get better with every new song she puts out there! I am excited to see if we will get anything more from her this year. Overpowered is this simply amazing album that reveals new emotions, colours and joys…
WITH every spin.