Hearing an album that starts out great but ends up mediocre is actually worse than hearing a CD horrible from beginning to end. At least a terrible CD doesn't raise any hopes of quality.
It would actually be more fun to write an all-around negative review of Fiction, the American debut of Canadian duo guitarist/vocalists Adam Popowitz and Yve. But parts of the album are very enjoyable. So enjoyable that the bad parts just seem worse.
Yve Adam
Fiction
Atlantic Records
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The title song of Fiction starts the CD out on a highly positive note. Haunting background music and Yve's passionate vocals generate a sound to fit the song's mysterious lyrics.
The first half of the album continues in the trend of "Fiction." The tracks sound original as background guitars, trumpets and percussion give each song a lush and exotic feel. Although the album mostly consists of introspective ballads, "Imperfect Girl," about a woman justifying her flaws, provides a needed change with an upbeat sound and empowering lyrics.
Unfortunately, Fiction's beginning section is followed by a series of disappointments. Song lyrics start to be overused and cliches begin to appear. The background music changes from complex to overly simplistic. Yve's voice becomes the dominant sound. Although she has a very nice voice, Yve's singing becomes grating and showy when there is nothing powerful in the background. Tracks such as "Personal Universe" and "Pandora's Voice" take on a whiny quality and change the album's tone from mellow to headache inducing.
Fiction never takes a nosedive into truly terrible territory. The album simply ends up sounding like warmed over Sarah McLachlan instead of something new and unique. It's hard to tell if Fiction's deterioration is due to exhaustion on the part of Yve and Popowitz. The duo wrote the lyrics to each of the 11 tracks. It's possible they didn't have enough originality to sustain an entire album.
Or maybe an attempt to make the album more commercial ended up making it sound recycled. Whatever the reason, Yve Adam fails to provide a complete package, a CD that is satisfying from beginning to end.
