Kind of boring... - After lisening to a couple of tracks everything becomes blured and repetitious, dreamy and boring, and the woman child voice does not do any good. I do not understand all the buzz around her.
One of the best albums ever - I first heard Bic Runga when I got the live album with Tim Finn and Dave Dobbyn. That inspired me to pick up Drive and this album, Beautiful Collision, and am I glad I did. I enjoyed both albums although I like the live versions of songs from Drive better as that album sounds a bit over-produced to me. Happily, Beautiful Collision is a different story. Lush, gentle, yet catchy and sometimes surprising (the best use of a banjo and harmonica I ve heard in a long while in a couple of songs, though this is not a country-music album), the production is perfect. Bic Runga has one of the most appealing voices I ve ever heard - delicate and pure without being cutesy or syrupy, with a wide range. Her vocal technique is quietly self-assured, without resorting to the trickery and posturing of too many female singers out there these days. She reminds me a bit of Natalie Imbruglia as far as bell-like qualities go, but I think she s better. Her lyrics, mostly about love, are fresh and thoughtful - no cliches here. I just never get tired of listening to it, no matter how often I play it.Buy this album. You ll be glad you did. Bic Runga could teach many of the female singers out there a thing or two.
Bic Runga is unique - Don t waste your time buying records from cookie cutter, corporate radio-annointed singer chicks. Spend [amt]on Bic s new album Beautiful Collison. Every song is interesting and evocative, both lyrically and musically. In fact, her lyrics are very spare and each word seems precisely placed, either for its meaning or its sound. (At least that is my impression.) This style reminds me very much of the great Aussie songwriter Paul Kelly. Bic s voice is an amazing thing of beauty, with range and phrasing that is wholly unique, though on the title track I hear a bit of a Bjorkian influence. Bic plays many of the instruments on the album, and has recruited some famous sidekicks (Neil Finn, Dave Dobbyn, Sebastian Steinberg among others) to play on it, too. For those who know Bic s music already, this album is not a serious departure from Drive, but rather a progression to a more mature style. Beautiful Collision is, quite simply, one of the best albums of 2002.
Moving beyond Sway ... - No matter what Bic Runga records from here onward, she ll probably always be associated with SWAY, one of those rare, perfect pop music moments--not bad results considering it came from her very first album (which is recommended). Yet Bic avoids sophomore jinx on BEAUTIFUL COLLISION with plenty of room to spare. Not to take anything away from her last album, but she has made great strides towards a more unified musical approach. Bic s growth as a songwriter shows up in virtually all of the songs here. The tunes grab you on the first listen, and don t let go with repeat hearings. A crucial factor in getting her songs across is Bic s flexible voice...very attractive and perfect for the quality lyrics. The music is more consistently reflective than before, favoring acoustic guitars rather than the occasionally amped-up tunes on her last album. I don t know if this one will get issued here in the USA, but BEAUTIFUL COLLISION certainly deserves the attention of anyone looking to see the singer/songwriter tradition pushed forward.
Well worth the wait - I waited 3 years for this album to come out and i believe it was well worth it all. It s different from Drive in that all the songs have a sense of uniformity rather than being different musical experiments of Bic. It s simple, dreamy, well engineered, and IMHO absolutely beautiful. Great music if you re in love. However, awful--unless you re masochistic--music if you re getting over someone.