Finally Woken (by Jem, Pop)

On FINALLY WOKEN, Welsh pop darling Jem Griffiths delivers 11 new songs, most of which sound tediously similar. The formula is simple: Strong dance-club rhythm tracks pound away under wispy, detached vocals. Love and loss seem to be the themes here, and the occasional sexual innuendo will go over the heads of kids who are not ready to hear it. The song "24" deals with the concept of time running out ("In 24 hours they'll be laying flowers on my life, it's over tonight"). Could be a death song, but again, there's nothing really explicit or scary to worry about."Wish I" is a musical change of pace, as the dance tracks go Latin and Jem's voice shines. The song visits the old theme of a girl sending her lover off on a grand adventure while she stays behind: "Baby, you're sailing away/Baby, you're sailing today/Sugar, wish I could go too/But honey you know I'm happy for you," she sings with disengaged perkiness.

Jem's breathy voice sometimes works and sometimes doesn't as she sings over dance-club rhythms. Often the pretentious instrumentals do not do her voice justice; in fact, she sometimes seems to get lost in the shuffle. It's too bad, as she has a pretty voice and even a couple of interesting songs. Okay, not that interesting...but she does have a pretty voice. Unfortunately, the overall impression is that she doesn't really care a whole lot one way or the other.

Released on: March 23, 2004
Label: Ato Records
Genre: Pop