Look at the sun, stare in the mirror...

It's not me, it's her!
If I mentioned an artist who, to be fair, has lived much of the last two years in the lime-light of tabloid newspapers you might think that I was referring to Amy Winehouse but I'm not.
I'm referring to one who has comedy in her blood and the presence of mind, given that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit and that flattery is little better, to turn the tables to her advantage. The double double-entendre of the title, which is a lyric, is a case in point.
While rather updated for the 21st century it is a trait that harks back to the heyday of British comedy film. If she were to wander into a 'Carry On' comedy, in a retro-inspired dress of the kind she favours anyway, and then tackle the character that Sid James happened to be playing at the time with some leading questions...

It's Not Me, It's You is released in the UK on February 9, 2009.

In a recession everyone needs a bit of old-fashioned smuttiness, innuendo and the feeling that everything bad is actually someone else's fault and, while politically correct for purists it is not, neither is it generally offensive (although sometimes rather lyrically graphic).

Added: February 6, 2009
For those of you on the far side, who are lucky enough to be at the Bowery Ballroom on February 10, enjoy...


It is unlikely to be timeless but few albums are and given the here-and-now it is essential listening. It is not the first album of this name to appear on this blog so here is a link to the previous one:
http://rpgreenhalgh.blogspot.com/2008/05/its-not-me-its-you.html

It's Not Me, Its You...

I got myself in a kind of loop this week hence the lack of posts.
I like to think that I have a good memory and that this is a good thing. It is but very occasionally it has a downside and one manifestation is that most of the music I can remember suddenly doesn't seem so interesting at all! This has happened before and I know it is only a temporary thing, so nothing really to worry about, but now I have realised it might have a benefit - or perhaps be more of an excuse! It is not my fault and so, if I have enough albums, surely there will come a point at which I can't possibly even remember them all, let alone whether I like them or not? My tastes change anyway, as I mentioned recently, so that should help too. It is possible that I have enough already but I'm not going to take any chances...

This evening I even got bored with the radio, but there are some current singles I should mention, and thus went to explore my collection in some detail. I created a small stack of things that made me curious - some of which you'll probably be glad that I rejected - and finally settled on this one for starters.

It's Not Me, It's You - The Free French.

It did the trick, hence this post and its title. Listening to it now, twice this evening, it strikes me that it fits current UK pop sensitivity well in many ways. What I find interesting about this is that it was released, as hitBACK Records 25CD, in 2003. If you are curious too it is happily still readily available. The Free French is essentially South London-based singer, songwriter and instrumentalist Rhodri Marsden aided by any (variable) number of collaborators for the performance aspects. The music is good and the lyrics can at times be even better still, if slightly strange. And track 5 Metaphorically contains a reference to Ribena (a blackcurrant soft drink seemingly largely confined to the UK) thus proving that (another Londoner) Estelle's current single featuring Kanye West is not the first song to mention it!

There was an earlier album, Running On Batteries (2002) that I also have and a later one, A Place Of Our Own (2005) that I don't. They are both readily available and I've just ordered the latter to complete my collection. I am currently unaware if The Free French is still a going concern but only because I haven't yet attempted to investigate.