Following the extremely artistic and creative creation that was 2011's Perfectionist, goth pop princess Natalia Kills is showcasing a slightly less darker side to her tough, bad girl exterior with the release of her sophomore effort, Trouble, which hits shelves on Sept. 3. Sales for her last album may not have been spectacular, but Kills is not letting it slow her down. The new project has the artist aiming for the throats of consumers and critics with an emphasis on the quality of the songwriting and simple assisting production. Preceded by some of the artist's best work to date, "Problem" and the show-stopping "Saturday Night", the new album works because it seems Kills has finally nailed down the persona she is trying to portray. We don't see an artist struggling for attention, we see a woman in control of her talents while giving the sassy attitude fans have grown to love.
The album opens with "Television" and its minute-long intro which sets a tone for the project with police sirens and static thrown in for good measure. While the sound of the opener would have been a perfect fit for her debut, with its pounding drums and intoxicating beat, the track does a great job at setting up a theme for the rest of the album. Strong vocals, intriguing vibe, job well done.
Official first single, “Problem”, was the same Natalia Kills we grew to know, returning with a fistful of vengeance. “I’m your dream girl, this is real love, but you know what they say about me”, she sings on the rough-and-tough, troublemaker anthem that keeps the momentum moving along just nicely. For those not familiar with the artist, the song sums up her character perfectly. You can bow down now.
"Stop Me" is a song that keeps it simple until it builds up to the utmost level of perfection. With lines describing that she only wears high heels to be closer to God, Kills leaves the magic in her lyrics which really carry the track. Sexy, sleek and unapologetic are just a few ways one can describe the nature and power of this hope-to-be future single.
With an attention-grabbing, guitar-driven intro, "Boys Don't Cry" is a poppy ode to the idea that Kills is truly a heartbreaker. Seems like she gets a kick out of it too. The feel and message of the song is what really keeps ears perked up. The artist's carefree, almost innocent-sounding, vocal performance is a kick, especially when she's singing about crushing a boy's heart. Ruthless.
There's a nice change of pace when the first notes of "Daddy's Girl" come through the speakers. While the slightly upbeat production mistakenly paints a happy, bright picture for the artist and the album, the lyrics tell a completely different story. "Do I look pretty? Through all your tears, Can your diamond Rolex, count the god damn years?," Kills sings on the hook.
There's a nice change of pace when the first notes of "Daddy's Girl" come through the speakers. While the slightly upbeat production mistakenly paints a happy, bright picture for the artist and the album, the lyrics tell a completely different story. "Do I look pretty? Through all your tears, Can your diamond Rolex, count the god damn years?," Kills sings on the hook.
The song I cannot stop praising, second single "Saturday Night", may be Kills best work to date as the haunting, heartfelt and story-like track tells of the artist's seemingly unpleasant childhood and family issues. While the verses are strong and depressing, "The boys I kiss don't know my name, the tears I cry all taste the same", the highlight is without a doubt the soaring chorus as Kills gives it her all!
Hit after hit follow with "Devil's Don't Fly", one of the slower, more serious pieces on the album. Lyrical content has the artist calling herself a devil, talk about beating yourself up. The song's main objective is to showcase Kills' ever improving vocals as she commands the impressive chorus as if its no difficult job at all. If all her ballads sounds just like this, I wouldn't mind being depressed for a while.
"Outta Time" borrows inspirations from the music eras preceding it. The slow track keeps the same pace throughout, without too much heavy production taking the listener away from the vocal performance of Kills who uses the time to her advantage once again. Overall, the song is just a simple ballad-esque pop track that is a nice departure from the dark tones and overly dramatic lyrics of the album.
As a buzz single, "Controversy" did its job pretty damn well, however, I don't know if I would consider it a great representation of the album. Kills goes through some heavy beats, provocative lyrics and random sentences until it gets to the highlight: "drink the Kool-Aid, don't drink the Kool-Aid". What the heck does that mean anyway? It's a unique, artistic piece, but let's just leave it at that.
Pure sex oozes out of "Rabbit Hole", a short, fun, raunchy pop track between a student and his teacher. The addictive beat and lyrics such as "cuz I eat boys like a cannibal, fuck hard, howl at the moon like an animal" are explicit and exciting, but when Kills starts referencing the sexual positions of the woodland's furry little creatures, she loses me for a split second.
"Watching You" is another slower moment for the album as the artist may need to get herself some help for stalking a former lover. Apparently Kills cannot get over her lost love as she sings that if she can't have them, nobody can. The track is creepy and dark, one that would fit in perfectly with the next horror-romance film, but should we have expected any other kind of "love" song from Natalia? No!
The true definition of a ballad comes through on "Marlboro Lights" as Kills' vocals are only supported by a soft piano playing beautifully in the background. This is the moment where fans really get to see the rare deterioration of her tough exterior, a vulnerable mess. The artist's vocals are strong, as they have been all album, but here we get to experience them without any heavy noise trying to steal our attention.
The album closes with the title track. "Trouble" seems to be set up as the closing credits of a movie, wrapping the album's contents into one four-minute goodbye. Kill is owning up to her numerous mistakes, her dark past, the worst memories in her life, and using it as a warning for her next love. "My daddy taught me so, When he said to me, Don't look back when you walk away, I'm the best mistake you'll ever make". Wow.
Trouble is a great improvement from Natalia Kills' debut release (not that the debut really needed much improving). It is just that this time around the artist seems to finally be in control of the dark, goth-like pop persona she has been creating for herself since stepping out onto the music scene. Heavier beats and production accompany tracks with heartfelt and personal lyrics that will resonate with any struggling listener. Kills has really stepped up her vocal performances as well as her songwriting which remains the highlight of the new release. When she lets her voice do all the work, that's when magic truly happens. The album receives an 88%.
Tracks to Hear: "Problem", "Saturday Night", "Devil's Don't Fly" and "Watching You"
Hit after hit follow with "Devil's Don't Fly", one of the slower, more serious pieces on the album. Lyrical content has the artist calling herself a devil, talk about beating yourself up. The song's main objective is to showcase Kills' ever improving vocals as she commands the impressive chorus as if its no difficult job at all. If all her ballads sounds just like this, I wouldn't mind being depressed for a while.
"Outta Time" borrows inspirations from the music eras preceding it. The slow track keeps the same pace throughout, without too much heavy production taking the listener away from the vocal performance of Kills who uses the time to her advantage once again. Overall, the song is just a simple ballad-esque pop track that is a nice departure from the dark tones and overly dramatic lyrics of the album.
As a buzz single, "Controversy" did its job pretty damn well, however, I don't know if I would consider it a great representation of the album. Kills goes through some heavy beats, provocative lyrics and random sentences until it gets to the highlight: "drink the Kool-Aid, don't drink the Kool-Aid". What the heck does that mean anyway? It's a unique, artistic piece, but let's just leave it at that.
Pure sex oozes out of "Rabbit Hole", a short, fun, raunchy pop track between a student and his teacher. The addictive beat and lyrics such as "cuz I eat boys like a cannibal, fuck hard, howl at the moon like an animal" are explicit and exciting, but when Kills starts referencing the sexual positions of the woodland's furry little creatures, she loses me for a split second.
"Watching You" is another slower moment for the album as the artist may need to get herself some help for stalking a former lover. Apparently Kills cannot get over her lost love as she sings that if she can't have them, nobody can. The track is creepy and dark, one that would fit in perfectly with the next horror-romance film, but should we have expected any other kind of "love" song from Natalia? No!
The true definition of a ballad comes through on "Marlboro Lights" as Kills' vocals are only supported by a soft piano playing beautifully in the background. This is the moment where fans really get to see the rare deterioration of her tough exterior, a vulnerable mess. The artist's vocals are strong, as they have been all album, but here we get to experience them without any heavy noise trying to steal our attention.
The album closes with the title track. "Trouble" seems to be set up as the closing credits of a movie, wrapping the album's contents into one four-minute goodbye. Kill is owning up to her numerous mistakes, her dark past, the worst memories in her life, and using it as a warning for her next love. "My daddy taught me so, When he said to me, Don't look back when you walk away, I'm the best mistake you'll ever make". Wow.
Trouble is a great improvement from Natalia Kills' debut release (not that the debut really needed much improving). It is just that this time around the artist seems to finally be in control of the dark, goth-like pop persona she has been creating for herself since stepping out onto the music scene. Heavier beats and production accompany tracks with heartfelt and personal lyrics that will resonate with any struggling listener. Kills has really stepped up her vocal performances as well as her songwriting which remains the highlight of the new release. When she lets her voice do all the work, that's when magic truly happens. The album receives an 88%.
Tracks to Hear: "Problem", "Saturday Night", "Devil's Don't Fly" and "Watching You"
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