Posts Tagged ‘standing in the way of control’
The Gossip – Standing In The Way Of Control Review
In 2006, Beth Ditto from The Gossip was selected by NME as the coolest person in rock. Completely understandable. Ditto is an outspoken person about everything from her weight, her sexuality to the state of affairs (well, maybe it’s related). The hit song “Standing in the Way of Control”, the title track, is a response to Bush’s administration on gay marriage. I stumbled upon The Gossip (I know, where have I been?) last week during L’Oreal Fashion Week. I know, it’s not the latest discovery, but it is among the greatest. I wish I could have been rocking The Gossip in my headphones since they formed 9 years ago.
The album Standing In The Way of Control should be included among the greatest rock/soul albums ever released. The fact that I had never heard of them until now is just a tragedy (for me of course). This album takes rock back to its roots, soul. As much as I love new school rock (we’ll call it that), there’s something that resonates with authenticity when there is funk and soul within rock music. The Gossip is the real thing. They stand for something. They sing about it. They do it like they mean business.
I’m not sure everyone can “love” Ditto’s voice, there is something very “dance music” about her voice and it can get annoying at times. I find that to be the amazing part of her voice though, it’s very big, very loud, very dramatic and gospel-ly. Every song on the album has this feel, a mix of old soul, gospel, dance, rock and funk. Standing in the Way of Control is already a classic, particularly in the clubs and it’s also been remixed by Tiesto. Her voice has a blues-feel in some of the tracks, particularly Coals To Diamonds, Holy Water and Dark Lines. Meanwhile, Keeping You Alive, Fire With Fire and Jealous Girls has more of a punk-soul feel. This album is on repeat right now in my car’s player; perhaps because with the state of the world, I feel like we should all stand for something… and perhaps I just feel like grooving along with the funk.
Like always, I post my favourites of the tracks, hope you enjoy and look for the album.
The Gossip – Standing In The Way Of Control
The Gossip – Your Mangled Heart
The Gossip – Dark Lines
