Kate Nash - ‘Made Of Bricks’ (Fiction) Released 06/08/07

With the release of her eagerly anticipated debut album ‘Made Of Bricks’, Brit School graduate Kate Nash has at last stamped her mark on the UK music scene. Whilst her sound can’t be described as unique (the comparisons to Lily Allen are obvious yet all too easy to make) she has successfully proved herself as a force to be reckoned with and definitely one to watch for the future. Her style of diary confessional storytelling provides a direct insight into the day to day thoughts and actions of a typical twenty something girl exploring life through music and in the process turning the mundane into the fascinating through vivid imagery and a shared intimacy. Bursting with bubblegum popping honesty ‘Made Of Bricks’ leaves you wanting more and proves that Kate Nash is someone with a bagful of talent and not just a bandwagon jumping wannabe.

At just over one minute long, the opening track ‘Play’ is short lived to say the least, but interesting enough to shatter any pre conceived ideas about her sound and style. It also acts as a statement of intent and an open ended invitation to the rest of the album. It’s swiftly followed by what is undoubtedly one of the albums highlights; ‘Foundations’ is a chart smashing stunner of a song that goes a long way to summing up the nature and talent of Kate Nash. Mixing uplifting instrumentation with tear-jerking lyrics of day to day life in a relationship gone past its best before date; ‘Foundations’ wears her heart on its sleeve. It’s brutally honest and has the ability to knock you off your feet, laugh and cry all in the space of four minutes. And there’s plenty more where that came from in the shape of the breathtakingly beautiful ‘Birds’, ‘We Get On’ and ‘Nicest Thing’ amongst others. Her use of undiluted honesty is complimented perfectly with well placed imaginative metaphors which easily rival many of her peers in terms of contemporary subject matter, language and reality. Naturally haunting and smacking of first hand experience, not only are they first class songs in their own right, but that they also serve to dismiss the cynics and elevate her to at least Lilly Allen’s level, if not beyond.

Keen to distance herself from a ‘girly-girl’ image there’s also plenty of expletitives to get stuck into. She’s not one to pull her punches, but in the case of ‘Dickhead’ and ‘Shit Song’ (both slightly darker than all the rest) the swearing is more of a reactionary response to a less than perfect situation, than an unfounded aggressive assault designed for shock value only. But these contrast heavily with ‘Pumpkin Song’; sultry and sexy with bursts of saxophone and a sound not too distant from that of a dumbed down straight talking Sugarbabes hit. And there’s also Miss Nash’s quirky side which is apparent throughout but especially in the likes of the self examining ‘Mouthwash’, the fantastic whirlwind world of ‘Mariella’ and the nonsensical ramblings of ‘Skeleton Song’. Some of Nash’s musings come across as a form of self-therapy and self-discovery and her constant use of repetition underlines the various points she makes throughout. Not only does it help make her music much catchier than it already is, it also ensures that the music gets stuck in your head for a long time to come.

Concluding the album is ‘Merry Happy’ a great song awash with jaunty piano with a vocal to match that conjures up imagery you just can’t ignore or stop yourself from singing along to. And it serves to encapsulate the spirit of the entire album. It’s not the best you’ll hear in 2007 but none the less is a great debut and one that’s sure to please an ever increasing and loyal fan-base. It’s a grower in every sense and one that leaves you guessing, daydreaming and wanting more…and it’s a fair bet to say there’ll be plenty more to come very soon.