Friday, November 30, 2007

Whatever happened to Fefe Dobson?

Well it is now quite a while since I posted the last update so here, at long last, is a new one: Return & Revenge.
It's about the new album, which is entitled Joy.
Fefe who??? Quite! [For the latest that I know see here.]

If you can remember this, her 2003 eponymous début album, then I suspect you do know who...

Yes, it was not huge and that was certainly true here in the UK but I think it was good nonetheless. Good enough indeed that Island (Universal) went ahead with the recording and production of her second album, Sunday Love, only to then terminate her contract and not release the album either. Or at least that is what I gather happened...
A few copies almost certainly do exist but the asking price for those I've seen offered for sale is in excess of £500 (very roughly $1050 & €700). Amazon.co.uk still list it but only as available from third parties at the above ridiculous prices. It would appear that even the cover artwork was completed, which I think only adds to the suspicion that it was shelved at the very last possible moment, and here it is.

I assume that Island/Universal are simply refusing to grant a licence on the copyright of the recording to anyone else willing to release it. So for an artist, stuck in the worst of all worlds and stymied by major label woes, this must seem about as cynical and demoralising as it can get for had they binned her just before the album was recorded she could have touted it elsewhere (subject only to some rather less overwhelming issues).
This is clearly nowhere near the whole story and I'd be fascinated to know more even if it is, like much of the above, only hearsay and speculation.

2 comments:

Michael K. Eidson said...

There was even an in-store album sampler for Sunday Love released by Island Def Jam. I don't know which stores distributed it, as I got my copy off ebay, for somewhere around $100. It has 8 tracks from Sunday Love: As A Blonde, Don't Let It Go To Your Head, If I Was A Guy, This Is My Life, Scar, Get You Off, Hole, and Strong (which was later released on some soundtrack as Be Strong). After I'd already bought my copy, I saw one of these sampler CDs sell for as low as $50 on ebay.

It was the entire Sunday Love CD that sold for in excess of USD $1000. I know of two such CDs that sold at that price. Those two CDs contained different songs! The first version of the CD didn't have the track In The Kissah. The second version of the CD did have that song. I don't recall which song was missing from the second version of the CD that In The Kissah took the place of. Also, Troubled Girl was supposed to be on Sunday Love and never made it, which means, I believe, that Troubled Girl will be on Fefe's third album.

The person that bought the first version of Sunday Love ripped it and made it available at very good quality as a torrent. I don't know if you can still find it or not, but Fefe mentioned on her myspace page that she knew about it and was glad that her fans got to listen to it.

The person that bought the second version of Sunday Love ripped the In The Kissah song from it and made it available on the web. I think you can find a copy of it on fefesource.com.

Wikipedia states that Fefe has stated that her third album is due for a July 2008 release. The title for the third album is still undetermined. Her "official fan page" on myspace is running a poll concerning what the title of the third album should be. And a few clips of songs from her third album can be found on the web, including a demo version of He Smiled (Take My Heart).

Fefe isn't gone. She's just experienced a minor setback. She's too talented for Island to have smashed her dreams. She will return, despite any efforts to keep her down. So get ready for more from the Feefster.

Angel said...

well sweety FEFE'S BACK & she's gonna kick some a** & take some names, her new CD "JOY" is hitting stores soon & they keep showin her new video "i wan't you to watch me move" on VH1 & did i tell ya she was one of the upcoming "you outta know" artist on VH1 soooo yeah hows about i tap dance up out this bitch like Ashley Simpson ;)