Sophie Ellis-Bextor

I won't say too much bout this stuff, but the first word which come to mind is RUBBISH. and it truely is. the production and all the songs are so weak, that you won't get temper to get it to the end upon first listen. but what is even worse that second listen will never come. So, if you wannna spend 20 bucks or so on quality import music, you'd better try Kym Marsh "Standing Tall" or Anastacia latest compilation "Pieces Of a Dream". Enjoy and don't be fooled by sweet looks on the front cover. Just read her lips: PLEASE, DON'T BUY ME!!!!!!!

I first heard of Sophie while watching TV in Poland on vacation few years ago. The video for "Murder on the Dance Floor" came on and I was instantly enchanted. It was such a cute, ultra-cool disco tune, with catchy music, and Bextor herself had this porcelain skin, glowing pink cheeks and a fabulous green eye shadow. She was so fresh and so different that I fell for her charm instantly! So far I own all of her music but this is the CD you have to have! As her first solo project this little shiny disc is a pearl in the sea of bad music. I mean its hard to get excited when I'm so picky about music, and when so much of it out there is only semi interesting, therefore I don't review a lot of it, I simply don't have time to go on and on make something lukewarm sound appealing. This one is effortlessly lovely. I cannot praise it enough, and I think that UK comes out with some great dance and pop.

Even though Sophie is an ex model, her voice is so unique and beautiful that I know she is more than a pretty face. She really has pure talent that needs to be heard. Her music is fun, really unique, the melodies are all fabulous and I can listen to this CD over and over. I don't think I can ever get bored of it, and I have absolutely loved it since 2002 and 4 years later I am not even remotely tired of it. Her songs here are not all dance or ballads, they are so unique they are almost hard to describe. They are bit disco, electronica, synthesizers, pop and dance.

By the way "Murder on the Dance floor" will make you want to dance. I put it on when I'm in a funk, really loud and it cheers me up. Download the video and watch it, it will make the song even better.

This CD is something great to put on while you're having a party, or listening to it on your iPod while skipping in the rain, while driving in the car with the top down and letting sunshine bathe you, while relaxing or simply when you want some nice fresh tunes. Her music is cool, simple as that and I am positive she will have continuous success.

...is probably the best term I can come up with to describe this album. Sophie Ellis-Bextor's songs with the smart lyrics (and that gorgeous voice!) will make you want to strut down the street feeling all sultry.

Ms Ellis Bextor has given pop a new lease of life.
She introduces and balladic, anthem like appeal to poppy catchy tunes and is more than a little inspired by 50's show tunes and 50's and 60's pop (watch some old Cliff Richard films if you don't get my meaning-I suggest "Summer Holiday"); her image is more than a little British 50's glamour puss too!
Her lyrics are witty and wry and seem very subtly supportive of a feminist stance, interestingly and rarely she also sings with a clear, crisp, British, almost BBC (circa 1955)accent.
Intersting stuff which breathes life into a genre that has become tired and predictable lately.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor is sort of like Kylie Minogue's less famous, more edgy, 2nd cousin. After the first couple of listens, tracks like "Murder on the Dance Floor", "Get Over You"(my favorite), "Music Gets The Best of Me" and "By Chance" stand-out immediately as pleasurable dance music that sticks in your brain. However, after several other listens, tracks like "Universe Is You" (where she sounds like a 21st century Debbie Harry), "Is It Any Wonder" (reminiscent of Dido and Jem) and the live track "If This Ain't Love" surface as proof that Ellis-Bextor is more than just a vapid pop dance Diva.

She has the chops to back it up and the original delivery to make more than just a passing mark on the music scene. Here's hoping the music industry takes more notice.

If you like songs with intellient lyrics and a melody then look no further. This album is like a breath of fresh air to our jaded ears.

Good cd, more consistent than the first, and an overall better listen, but lacking some of the stronger more upbeat qualities the hit singles on Read my Lips contained. Still worth the money!

To start with I am bummed out that I have the 10 track version of this recording without the extra 3 (!)tracks contained on the UK version, this leaves me slightly miffed and concerned that australian fans are not worthy of an extra 3 tracks --admit i havent deliberatly searched for the hidden track and it sounds like it might best remain hidden anyway.

ok then down to business>>either you have bought the first album and you want to know if the second one can match it>>the answer appears to be...yes ..maybe, I was a huge fan of the first album and this one has not yet surpassed it and is currently sitting a notch or 2 below it>>which is not to say it does not have the potential to match it, it does, surpass it? maybe not.

ok maybe you dont have the 1st sophie album and you have the age old dilema>>which one do i buy?? well in my opinion you buy the first one (see above) then buy the 'watch my lips' DVD and live in ecstacy for week while you watch that and then go out and buy some stylish clothes that make you feel good and buy the second CD of Sophies, come home and feel like the world is a great place afterall.

Special mention must be made of Sophies songwriting which seems to have matured from the first album. Sophie has something to say and can use words and music effectively like the great songwriters, i dont think we have seen or heard the best from Sophie yet. I can see a stripped back recording with acoustics and reliance on words , phrasing and delivery that becomes her masterpeice. If i have a criticism of the current album is that there seems to be too much happening in some of the tracks , particularly the ballads which , due to the strength of the songwriting would have been more powerful with less. I am sure Sophie would agree that less is sometimes...more.

So go on funksters, hail the birth of a great female songwriter from britian and realize that british art is not dead.
(a aussie still recovering from the world cup defeat).

This CD contains many different types of moods and styles. From industrial to electronica, brit-pop, and a really laid back (but still moving) guitar song like "party in my head" which for lack of a better description is Sheryl Crow-ish. "Love it is Love" is a combination samba/disco and is sure to get you dancing. The last song "Hello Hello" really suprised me. Its slow moving and has some very beautiful moments if you learn to accept the soft sounds in combination with Sophie's voice. We can't be dancing all night long, you know. Again, for lack of a better description, think K.D. Lang, but it is still Sophie's own style.
If you really enjoy Sophie Ellis Bextor, you must buy this CD. I listened to the samples at www.sophieellisbextor.net and still wasn't really sold, but since I really liked the artist I bought it anyways to give it a shot. Now its my favorite CD....along with Emma Bunton's "Maybe." Also a must have. Check out my review when I receive it next week.

I must admit, I was not all that crazy about Ms. Ellis-Bextor's first album. Read My Lips had only a handfull of songs I liked. This album I feel is stronger. Making Music is a whale of a track, my favorive on the album, along with I Am Not Good At Not Getting What I Want, which is wonderful with it's 1950's guitar work. Hello Hello is quite beautiful, and Mixed-Up World is infectious too. The album as a whole is more consistently listenable, but it's not perfect. Some of the tracks don't seem as well thought out as others. My biggest gripe is that some of the lyrics are very bad. Party In My Head sounds like random phrases just pulled from a thesaraus.
WARNING: There is a second edition of this album now available with only 10 tracks . DO NOT BUY THAT EDITION!!! It is the inferior version! Making Music and I Won't Dance With You are gone as is the bonus hidden track, a cover of The Olivia Newton-John classic Physical. While that bonus track was clearly not a good idea, Making Music alone is worth the extra money. Be sure you buy the proper version with the artist name and album title in WHITE lettering.

Why the high price? I bought this in Europe for the equivalent of $10 after the exchange rate. Import prices don't cost $30.

Trip the Light Fantastic is a pop masterpiece.
Funk sensations to mirror ball bliss to the best love song I have heard in years: What Have We Started?, which is rivaled by the hopeful Today the Sun's On Us.
Sophie even makes stalking fun: "Run to where you want...I am going to find you...There ain't no distance far enough..There ain't no engine fast enough. I am going to Catch You."
I will be waking up with these songs in my head for weeks.

Sophie Ellis has slowly worked her way into what is now a daily play.
She first grabbed my attention with Murder on the Dance Floor and soon after, Mixed Up World. When Catch You hit the play lists, it was exactly what I had hoped for and Supersonic has gone even beyond! I can't stop listening to this song!

If you've heard one Sophie Ellis-Bextor album, you've heard them all. Mostly- true. Each album has a slightly different feel. "Read My Lips" was disco. "Shoot From the Hip" was more, hmmm experimental? atmospheric? With "Trip the Light Fantastic" she's treading steadily in the middle of the road with solid pop shoes on. More listenable than "Hip" and with more emotional diversity than "Lips", "Trip" delivers exactly the same Sophie vocals. Beautiful, distinct, and sultry - yes, but sadly prone to monotony if the song doesn't provide some strong musical moments.

Some have said that "Supersonic" is the 'worst' song on the album. I like it for providing a different feeling from the rest of the album. The song has energy. Most of the album is made up of synth beats that complement but blend with Sophie's already hypnotic, if not meditative, vocals. "Catch You", "Love is Here", "Only One", "China Heart", and "Today, the Sun's on Us" provide guitars, stanzas, choruses, bridges, and emotional changes in the vocals. They stand out, to me, as stronger songs than the likes of "If I Can't Dance", and "The Distance Between Us" which start with a generic synth sound and after 3 or 4 odd minutes of innocuous vocals you find yourself with no idea of what just passed.

I am a fan and am pleased as punch to have this album. However, I think that Sophie should break out of her shell a little more and take a few more risks with her vocal stylings. Not because I dislike "Lips", "Hip", and "Trip", but we have that sound already. Overall, It's beautiful, a good listen. I could drop a couple of songs but, hey, I liked the ones others didn't, so- Something for everyone I suppose.

"Love is Here" is worth buying the album- This really ought to be a single. "What Have We Started" is gorgeous. It has violins, cymbals, a sort of 'later Abba' rock-pop melody and the best Vocals on the album.

The unmistakeable voice of Sophie Ellis has a heavenly collision with a flawless array of pop diddies making this one of the must have Summer albums of all time. Her previous two releases were wonderfully catchy but plagued with some unfortunately low points. This is truly her first cohesive piece of entertainment, retaining the sense of fun, sophistication, and sass that one comes to expect, but infused with a maturity lacking in her earlier work. Sophie, working with a fine selection of craftsmen including songstress and past pop star Cathy Dennis (Cant' Get You Out Of My Head) and Dan Gillespie from the Feeling, create a very cohesive piece of work that's listenable through and through with the exception of the bonus track Supersonic, written with Fred Schnieder of B-52's; the song is a terrible piece of hideousness, a scab on an otherwise flawless complexion if you will. Miracously ice princess Sophie mangages to imbue the other excellent tracks with an unfamiliar warmth that certainly have lacked some "human touch" in the past. Too many above par tracks to mention but singles "Catch You" and "Me And My Imagination" are two of the strongest tracks she's ever recorded, and all of the songs have their moments to shine, peppered with gorgeous moments of genius and sprinkled with beautiful pop melodies. "Love Is Here" is destined to an enormous hit and sits proudly alongside her dance classics "Murder On The Dance Floor" & "Take Me Home". Thanks Sophie for this Summer gift!

Full marks to Sophie for a return to the fun campery of old with the very catchy "Me & my imagination", however, it's the bonus track "Move to the music" which is the real killer here. It's literally "Murder on the dancefloor" part 2, with great lyrics giving a big two fingered salute to all who dare question the fact that anyone over 30 shouldn't like (or dance to) pop music. The story is told, as usual, in deadpan yet world weary tones from one of the best female singers we have. As much as I love "M&MI", I just can't stop listening to "Move to the music". Fans of Ms Bextor will know exactly what I mean when they hear it. Strangely though, for such a strong song, I notice it's not included in the tracklisting for the new album! still, I guess that makes this single even more of a must have.

Great to have you back Sophie!

After a string of hits, Sophie manages another one with ease. One of her latest singles, Mixed Up World, has the sassy sound of Sophie mixed with fantastic music. This is sure to be a hit in the clubs, especially if track 2, the Groove collision mix is popped on!

Like most Sophie songs, it tells a story, and here we are told of a woman reassuring herself (and the listener) that it's OK if you're a tad confused in todays world, because you're tough enough to handle it!

Sophie vocals have such attitude and really work well with these lyrics, while the beat behind the track really gets you going. Top marks to Sophie for co-writing the song aswell!

"The earth shook the devils hand" is a fantastic bonus track on the single and is completely different to "Mixed Up World". Here there is a similarity to Sophie's early songs recorded in her band "the audience". It's basic guitar and vocal but is very refreshing to hear such a different sound from Sophie.

This is the first track from Sophie's newest cd. This song was atop ten hit in the UK and it is more electro in the feel of the track. The cd comes with the incredible Groove Collision Remix(6:38) that juices up the electro vibe of the song. The song is one of trying to get through the hardships of the world in one piece and this mix brings that out clearly. The breadown is straight out of a early 80's hit "I'm In Love" by Eveyln "Champagne " King- too good.You also get the bonus track "The Earth Shook The Devil's Hand" that is excellent as well. Brilliant.

The first single off Sophie Ellis-Bextor's sophormore album bears all the trademarks of a great Gregg Alexander hit. Mixed Up World is a delicious piece of electronic retro tune that rips through the dancefloor.

Though not something that you haven't come to expect from the lady herself, it's a tune that will almost get you to dance and sing along with immediately, especially the slick funky video (included as the enhanced track here) that brings you back to the 60's/70's.

The Groove Collision Mix found on this single is a thumping club smash that transforms the song for the party people. You'll get an extra non-Lp track too.

Sophie Ellis Bextor's "Murder On The Dancefloor" was an international dance hit in 2002. This single opens with the "Radio Edit," in which a girl tells a guy that he won't get away from her on the dance floor. Musically, this song sounds derivative of early 1980's dance music. However, Sophie has a decent voice that works with the music.

Next is the "Extended Album Version." Compared to the "Radio Edit," there's an extra minute of instrumental at the beginning (with the occasional "murder" sung over it), and extra instrumental near the breakdown. Overall, this extended version works well.

Next is the "Jewels & Stone Remix," which increases the tempo of the song. During the intro and the ending, there's a "spacy" sound in the mix (which sounds like a flying saucer going overhead). Also, some occasional cheering and distorted vocal (sounds like the word "murder" has been distorted) is thrown in, and these vocals add nothing to the song; in fact, they draw too much attention to themselves. At the end, the vocals stop abruptly, which is followed by tinkling bells. Overall, this mix is mediocre.

The last mix is the "Parky & Birchy Remix"; this mix takes too long to get started. It's obvious that the instrumentation is building up by adding a couple elements at a time over the course of the three-minute intro, it just takes too long. Once the mix gets going, it has a flat-sounding bassline and percussion mixed with strings, tinkling bells, and horns. When the mix concludes, the vocals just abruptly end. Overall, this mix is mediocre, but could be stronger if it was shorter.

Overall, this single is mediocre. If you like the song, but don't want to buy the album, then get this single. Otherwise, you should get Sophie's album.

For the dark subject matter, this song always makes me feel good. Ms. Bextor does a fantastic job, as always.
Trax:
1. Radio Edit (3:36, 10/10): Exactly what it says.
2. Extended Album Version (5:30, 11/10): I love this extended mix. Nice and long.
3. Jewels & Stone Mix (5:39, 10/10): Funky and discofied. A great "party" version.
4. Parky & Birchy Remix (7:22, 11/10): B-E-A-UTIFUL!!! A great dark disco mix. Very house.
If you like this, I suggest getting her fantabulous solo debut album, "Read My Lips". It's her best album, hands down. Her second one just isn't up to par. She's currently recording another disco album with Fred Schneider of B-52s fame. Guaranteed success.
PS: Even though this isn't available on Amazon, try & find it at your local Borders store. I found my copy there.

This is oneof the best songs toget you going. I fyou can find it but it an dyou wont' be disappointed.

Murder On The Dancefloor is an excellent pop/disco song, very catchy, and makes you want to dance and sing a long. Sophie's first album "Read My Lips" is awesome ! She sings with her posh english accent all the fab tracks, but Murder is simply brilliant. I personally Recommend: "Murder...", "Take Me Home", "Get Over You", "Music Gets The Best Of Me" & "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)". She will be touring the UK (JAN/FEB) and Europe in march. Do yourself a favor and go to one of her concerts.

Great new single by an artist that's already popular outside the U.S.