Just What The Doctor Ordered
Medication Time
Scarlette Fever
Scarlette Fever is a singer songwriter with a seriously good selection of songs on her album ‘Medication Time’. ‘Crash and Burn’, the album opener has a Taylor Swift vibe to it and gets things off to a great start. It is a song about taking chances whatever the cost and is a manifesto for her and any other young artist trying to make her way in the crowded online marketplace.
‘Black and White’ is her sign off to a love who didn’t treat her well and clearly didn’t deserve her. As she says ‘Shut up and you can hear me spitting you out!’ It’s a great track full of attitude and defiance.
‘Hour of Sunshine’ is about a guy she knows is bad news but she loves seeing him anyway and it rocks along with a crunching guitar backing. ‘Good Day’ is a gorgeous song that reminds us that nothing else matters when you’re with someone you really care about. It builds beautifully and by the end is an anthemic singalong.
‘Praying for Change’ talks about living through another day searching for some meaning. It is a bittersweet and beautiful song that moves in to New Country territory and carries the listener along on the power of the lyrics.
‘Let’s Go Shopping’ is a fun, tongue in cheek track that suggests that the answer to a lack of direction is some retail therapy! ‘Cheatin’ Man’ continues Scarlette’s apparent run of bad luck (!) as she demands to know ‘How does a cheatin’ man feel.’ Here, her voice channels Carly Simon as she spits out her defiance in a song that just sounds brilliant from first note to last.
‘Elated’ is absolutely gorgeous and my favourite song on the album. With more than a hint of the amazing Australian singer Delta Goodrem, this is a song that just demands to be played on repeat.
‘Single White Female’ is a 60s style song that is just classy from beginning to end that you could imagine Shirley Bassey having a go at. It certainly has a Bond vibe to it and would have been a better theme than either of the last two efforts!
‘You Don’t Know My Name’ starts off with a harmonica solo and oozes quality as the range and beauty of her voice hits new heights. ‘Face the Facts’ tells another flaky man not to bother looking back at her as he leaves as ‘nobody’s waving’ . She also tells him she’s keeping the flat and the cat, but he can keep his films for company! As send offs go, that’s pretty brutal!
‘Lovestruck’ and ‘What Would you do’ are rocking tracks that demand to be played loud and will no doubt be great live. In both of these songs Scarlette has the attitude and the voice of the great Suzi Quatro when she really lets rip.
‘Looking Glass’ is a really interesting track with a psychedelic feel that put me in mind of Pink Floyd at times and shows her ability to write in a number of genres without losing her individuality.
The final track ‘Give Me a Smile’ is a show tune that just needs a show to be written around it. It finishes off an album without a single weak track. Scarlette is a seriously talented singer songwriter who has had some success in the US and is getting growing attention in the UK after guest slots with Mike and the Mechanics and Robbie Williams amongst other artists. Surely her big breakthrough can’t be far away.
