Imogen Heap - Speak For Yourself

Ms. Heap said it best herself – “Why’d you have to be so cute? Make it impossible to ignore you.” Like her other project Frou Frou – which I never realized was not a solo project in itself until this album came out – it is that perfect movie score music. Hence why the Vocoder-heavy track “Hide and Seek” was featured prominently in the finale to the second season of The OC. She makes this beautifully layered electronic pop… the kind of stuff that must make Moby incredibly jealous. Word on the street is that Ms. Heap mortgaged her London home in order to finance Speak For Yourself (apparently the Garden State royalties were not as lucrative as she had hoped). But even in listening to the record, it is clear that she has a lot of herself invested in the record. While never known for simplistic production, the overall polish on these songs is Teflon smooth. Despite such over shine, Imogen is still able to pack an emotional punch in her voice, which has always been one of her strong points. This record may be Ms. Heap’s reach for the big time that has been building for some time. While I would certainly love to see her brand of pop on MTV, she may have to settle for movie soundtrack queen. This is just the smart and friendly music that seems to go over the heads of your average radio listener. [www.imogenheap.com]