Lady Sovereign is Puzzling With Her Jigsaw
Jigsaw is the name of Lady Sovereign's new album, and it says so much about this pint-sized powerhouse. Bursting onto the scene in 2006, Lady Ess-Oh-Vee (as she is prone to chanting in her tracks) was touted as the "female Eminem" due to the style of her rapping, along with the fact that she is white. Her thick British accent and diminutive height, a subject she frequently uses as a point of humor within her lyrics, along with her aggression and tight beats made her a quick favorite. Her debut album Public Warning brought us "Hoodie," "9 to 5," and her anthem "Love Me or Hate Me." But with Jigsaw, her style has changed. Not only is the tiny rapper embracing a more punk style of dress, her music has altered as well. Tracks embrace a poppier, bouncier aspect. She sings. Jigsaw is just another piece of the Lady Sovereign puzzle, and she's telling us that you can't even begin to see the big picture.
Dancing With the Ess-Oh-Vee
Jigsaw opens with another true Lady Sovereign anthem. Like "Love Me or Hate Me," she really lays herself and her idiosyncracies out with "Let's Be Mates." "You like colors? I like purple" she tells us atop a progressive and dancey beat, listing all the strange things her and her potential mate have in common. Not only is the theme far different from her previous work (this is practically a love song), but the production is tight and set to make you dance. This leads right into "So Human," a fantastic collaboration between Sov's no-nonsense knack with lyrics and the wonderful sample lifted from The Cure's "Close to Me." She raps and sings about a common theme throughout literary history, the fact that she makes mistakes because she's "So Human." I think this track is why I wanted her album so badly. Granted, lead single "I Got You Dancing" is nothing to scoff at, employing deep and dirty instrumentation and a carefree, auto-tuned Sovereign. Everything about this track, from her lyrical flow to the hypnotic grime beats, is aimed at making your body rock, and it succeeds with amazing flair. Definitely don't miss out on the fantastic video, either. Lady Sovereign dressed up as a zombie baseball player with her team grooving behind her is not something to be missed.
The Sov Goes Deeper Into The Puzzle
The mood mellows with "Jigsaw", a very autobiographical track about a failed relationship and the state of her mind and heart in the aftermath, begging her lover to come back and try again. "Guitar" follows this same downtempo confessional theme, again apologizing for herself and her behavior, what she can and cannot do. The tracks are a little too boring for me but I can respect what went into them.
"Bang, Bang", "Pennies", and "I Got the Goods!!" are total party tracks, despite that "Pennies" is a much slower track. The beats are solid and groovy and she is in top rapping form. "Play Food" is just beyond me, I have listened to the track multiple times and am just as confused as the first time I listened. I applaud her for embracing weirdness in her music, but... what?
Summary
Another piece of the puzzle, and I am thankful for it. I question whether Jigsaw will provide as memorable tracks as Public Warning, but I must say it is definitely a more cohesive album, despite some of the tracks being skippable. But, on a whole, totally an album worth purchasing. Especially for listing Lady Sovereign as the "musician" responsible for the monkey noises.
Released April 2009 On Midget Records
