Disco de Louise Nurding: “Elbow Beach”

Louise's 3rd album "Elbow Beach" was named for the place she wed her hesband UK footballer Jamie REdknap. As one reviewer put it the tracks pretty much deal with the joys of being and in love and the bliss of her marriage. Having been known as much for her sexy pics in UK men's mags as her singing Louise's 3rd album didnt get quite the promotional push in the press despite yielding 2 big singles.

The album itself is very RnB flavoured pop by way of the UK. Lots of heavy bass and urban beats dominate the tracks but there is still a very melodic pop element to the album. The standout track is also the lead single "2faced" where Louise tell her detractors and so-called friends "to stop their bitchin".

Louise distances herself from her more whole early works. The slow and sexy groove of "The Best thing" Louise sings "the best things about being a woman, you don't have to take it lying down-cook in the kitchen, whore in the bedroom- honey i'll be your teacher".

I was surprised "for your eyes only", a dancefloor ready track complete with a thumping four/four beat was unfortunately unrealeased as a single. The track is easily one of her best songs since the naked album. Lyrically the track is sexy bedroom talk but the sounds are irrisistible. I could see kylie minogue singing this as well.

The album tracks are all pretty good "Lost", "Bedtime", "in our room" are all good RnB tinged songs while "egyptian queen" slows thing down with a melodic groovy beat. Louise sings about daydreaming about being royalty "cruisin' the Nile in serious style".

Overall the album is a good album especially for fans of Lousie. In my opinion its probably the weakest of her three albums though with many songs being very similar in sound/style. Having said that the standout songs are quite good and worth listening to on their own merits.

Initially a member of British girl group Eternal(who had a moderate hit here in the states waaaayy back in '93 with the song 'Stay'), Louise left that group for a solo career after their first album, and enjoyed alot of solo success with her first two albums. On this, her third solo release, she forgoes the typical Euro-dance/pop sound that permeated her first two albums and gravitates more towards a sleek R&B sound, with excellent results. Very similar in vein to Madonna's undervalued masterpiece BEDTIME STORIES, ELBOW BEACH is basically of celebration of Louise's relationship with her new husband--she wrote or co-wrote much of the music, gravitating between love('First Kiss') and sex('Bedtime'). Apparently a popular subject of tabloid fodder in the UK, she strikes back at her detractors with the biting '2Faced', and if she doesn't pull it off with quite the venom of say, Madonna(think 'Human Nature'), it's still a terrifically great respite from the goody-goody pop out there now. A great investment for those who love great R&B-laced pop.

Louise could be called Britain's Pop Vixen, with a membership in soulful R&B group Eternal and many hits ("Naked", "Undivided Love", "Let's Go Round Again", etc.). A more mature Louise emerged with this album, spawning two hit singles, "2 Faced" and "Beautiful Inside". Sadly though, this album did not receive any more single releases, though many could have been big hits in my opinion ("For Your Eyes Only", "Egyptian Queen", and "City Boy Fix"). A really well produced, written, and sung pop collection, and the last fresh Louise record, before her Greatest Hits album is released later this year.

A very good pop album with dance tinged songs and a few ballads thrown in. In a world of Britney and Christina, this is a more sophisticated take on the pop music scene. It handles a broader range of topics i.e. first single "Two Faced" which deals with back stabbers. She is huge in England and has yet to get Air Play in North America. I don't know why as she is a cut above the competition. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable CD. Her other CD's, available only as imports are worth checking out as well.