The Cheek Of Her

This debut album from The Cheek of Her (TCOH) is a curious mixture of pop, indie, a little punk – though more in attitude than music - and MOR. All that blended with her intriguing lyrics, and we have an interesting and, with patience, a catchy album.

Opening with Guitar Muse, what strikes immediately is her vocals, which range from Lydonesque non-vocals to biting Morrisette angst all within a great, rhythm led pounder of a song. That continues into Axis of Love though gentler, piano led and harmonies expertly used.

Never Your Wife with its Eltonish piano work and shouty, gang-backing vocal sounds as it should in a West End musical. There’s also plenty of humour here. Take Another Guy I Buried in the Woods a ballad of sorts with complex vocal and instrumental interplay and a barbed lyric, ending with the sound of shovels!
The album closes with three live numbers and a cover of Marley’s Three Little Birds, that really don’t add anything at all and feel like padding.

It takes a few listens to really appreciate the depth of the songs on the album. The production is on the sparse side, nonetheless it can all sound cluttered and very disjointed with TCOH’s unique voice to the fore, and the harmonies seemingly just lobbed in for no reason. Gradually, it starts to coalesce and the fleeting electronica on Write Me a Letter, or the subtle Latin themes in The Fleas Song start to emerge. It’s not for all tastes but well worth a listen.