Speaking Up For Herself

Known as the vocal half of the London pop band Frou Frou, Imogen Heap’s solo work has been featured in Garden State and amidst teen crisis on the OC. An indie radio darling, she made Speak For Yourself without a major label by turning her home into a studio. It sounds far removed from such humble beginnings, but the ‘go for broke’ feel remains.Heap’s voice is distinctive, capturing Kate Bush’s sweetness sans the vulnerability. The album begins with the most Frou Frou – like track, “Headlock,” with breathy vocals over multi layered tracks. She sings, “You say too late to start/With your heart in a headlock/You know you’re better than this.”

“Daylight Robbery”, the only rock track, works surprisingly well. The music is guitar heavy but doesn’t overpower the vocals. It’s exhilarating as she lets go, singing “Again, again, again…”

In “Hide and Seek,” Heap sings a capella with a voice synthesizer to create a unique, organic sound. The lyrics are nonsensical. “Crop circles in the carpet, sinking, feeling/Spin me around again and rub my eyes.”

The album begins with enveloping, multi-layered tracks and ends with the stripped down, “The Moment I Said It.” Without being overwrought with sentimentality or buried by electronics, Heap simply tells a story that anyone who’s experienced a doomed relationship can understand. She sings, “suddenly things just happened, we can’t explain/It’s not even light out but you’ve somewhere to be.” It’s at once seductive and heartbreaking.

The charismatic Speak For Yourself sounds close to Heap’s previous projects but demonstrates her ability to create music that varies stylistically, possibly introducing her to a wider audience.