Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
It wasn’t that long ago that Kate Nash was thought of quirky, a new voice to enjoy whilst it possibly lasted and more than likely she would do well to get a couple of albums under her belt but gradually fade away. Something then happened to make that possibility a mere inconsequence, she became a female voice of a generation and for that music lovers should be grateful.
From the tiny steps of Made of Bricks in which she wrote music as if playing along to a well-kept secret diary filled with dramas in her life through to her latest release, the sublime Girl Talk in which the diary has been ditched and replaced by a woman whose attitude has become more adult, more adrenaline charged and basically more in tune with her growing stature as a fine example of radical feminism. It is a welcome change and incredible to hear.
Gone are the days of songs of childhood innocence wrapped in teenage angst, the music that she provides for the listener on Girl Talk are tracks of real depth and understanding. The thoughts of the young teenager have given way to a more distinguished feel but also with that 20 something year old outlook that screams at various injustices. It is powerful and reminiscent of some of the great female singer/songwriters of the great punk era and above all a real thrill to hear how she has moved on in less than a decade.
Instead of tracks that only appealed to a certain section of society such as Foundations, Birds and Mariella, instead now the listener has tracks such as Fri-End, the beautiful Sister, the sensational brutality of Rap for Rejection and the well delivered 3am. It could be said that Kate Nash has grown up and that should be taken as a given, she has thrown herself in to the passion of music in a new and extraordinary way and that has been fuelled by those she has helped through her charity work. It is great new beginning for the young woman with an abundance of talent but she still retains that wonderful zest for life that marked her out just a few short years ago.
Girl Talk is a brilliant return, an album full of iconic songs and so much more in keeping with the real Kate Nash.
Ian D. Hall