Uffie - Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans (Electro/Nu-Disco)

Zune Social: tfx | By: N Pfeifer | 6/28/2010 |

There's something ingratiating about undeserving celebrettes and socialites teaming up with music producers and bragging about their lifestyles with pop trash. Some of this turns into radio success and thankfully, some of it bombs. American-born, Paris-based Uffie (real name: Anna-Catherine Hartley) deflects the crummy aspects of 'socialite pop' by not being very popular here in the States, but by also having some genuinely decent taste in music. While Uffie has eked out several singles and EPs over the past decade, this is her first LP and it's an interesting, if unbalanced, first step.


The singer admits flatly that she can't carry a note and it's a wonder she's even successful. She's not wrong about her lack of vocal ability, but she reverts to speak-singing while her producers drown her in auto-tone whenever possible (one particular instance evoked a certain cake-baiting video game villain). When she's rapping, she hits a sassy stride, but when she slips into an anti-flow on a track like "Pop The Glock" by clumping a bunch of syllables together or ignoring rhymes, it can almost be dizzying.

If you can't get over her vocals, there's still some crafty production backing her up from her slightly known French label Ed Banger. The acid-electro groove pervades for the most part and there's some crazy sampling in store as well. For example: the track "Difficult" sounds ripped straight from an 80s TV series. Unfortunately, too many tracks are so fluffy they float away and none of them have the pulse-pounding vitality of the album's smash single "MCs Can Kiss". It's the eclectic and wobbling thread of this entire disc that makes me wonder if this album can find an appropriate place anywhere. There's not enough dance music for clubs and not enough decent electronica for home listening.

Maybe next time.

Favorite Tracks: "MCs Can Kiss", "ADD SUV"

Verdict: Pass On It / Meh / Get it

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