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NEW ALBUM DEEPER INTO REALITY & SINGLE STOP DOING NOTHING - OUT NOW

At a time when the electronic genre has come to the fore of popular music, it is rare to find an album that takes as many risks and succeeds with such aplomb as Natasha England’s new album Deeper Into Reality. Natasha’s rich and illustrious musical background makes this album all the more interesting to listen to. After successfully cracking the UK top 10 with her single Iko Iko and the 80’s pop classic L.P Captured, Natasha immersed herself in the writing and recording of new material.

Following her collaboration with many industry notables, England came across Robert Logan - a producer and performer who skillfully reworked Natasha’s ‘Iko’ hit for a 2007 re-release, and has also worked with acts such as Faithless, Sugababes and Grace Jones who he supported at Glastonbury and the Royal Albert Hall. The result of this collaboration is an intelligent, cutting edge electropop record that is bound to have you wanting to listen over and over again. A wonderfully innovative and creative album that draws on many different musical genres to create a truly great and original listening experience.

The immediate thing which stands out to the listener is that the music so effectively merges classic synth-pop with new found electro beats and sounds. An incredibly direct, punchy album in places, yet delicately ambiental, this seems to create a perfect balance between the vocals and instrumentation, particularly evident on the track Life’s For The Living. The album also has a wonderfully haunting quality, with reverb on both vocals and keys used to quite stunning effect, outlining Logan’s wizard- like production. Lead single Stop Doing Nothing is a lyrically fascinating song on the perils of idleness. Powerful and evocative in the mould of a slow dance track, its memorable hook with electronically tweaked steel drums gives the track a beautiful vibe. The Passion is another of the albums real stand out tracks, merging a club-style tubby bass line with a more traditional electro hook not out of place on any Boys Noize or Erol Alkan track. Natasha England’s haunting vocal gives the track a great edge. Title track Deeper Into Reality ups the BPM to rave status whilst never betraying that retro feel in the vocals. This cut also brings together a great Dubstep style bass with a semi-Soca beat that really gets you moving wherever you’re listening.

Natasha England and Robert Logan, who together wrote 10 of the 11 tracks, have created an album packed with musical gems which are lyrically fascinating to listen to and slickly produced. Throughout Deeper Into Reality there are risks being taken, but with the musical pedigree and background of both England and Logan it is no surprise to see that the results produce an album which is sure to push the boundaries of electro synth a little further.
(Mark McDermott)