Album: Speak For Yourself
Label: Megaphonic Records / Sony BMG
Release date: 18th July 2005
I’m hardly an expert on electronic music: my musical heritage is more about guitars than synthesisers. So, Speak for Yourself was something of a curveball when it was recommended to me recently. Straight out of Romford, in East London, comes an album by a woman with a rich musical background both as a member of electronica duo Frou Frou (along with producer and musician Guy Sigsworth) and as a solo artist. I’m talking, of course, about Imogen Heap, and her 2005 second album Speak For Yourself.
The album is much in same the vein as her work with Frou Frou: chilled-out, ambient electronic music enhanced by her haunting voice. Mixed and produced entirely by Heap, without any record label involvement until a distribution deal with Sony in 2006, Speak For Yourself is an incredibly tight and consistent album. Although I would say that the opening song, “Headlock”, is probably the weakest track, after a mild initial disappointment the album suddenly raises its game, and the rest of the record is simply excellent. From the stalkertronica vibe of “Goodnight and Go” (Follow you home/you’ve got your headphones on and you’re dancing/got lucky, beautiful shot/you’re taking everything off…) to the elegant sarcasm of “Just For Now”, Heap keeps the listener entranced with a combination of her lovely voice and hypnotic beats.
This is a fairly brief review, but that’s simply because there’s nothing more to say: this album is fantastic. If you’re into electronic music or just catchy pop, I would recommend it particularly strongly… but actually, I’d recommend to just about anyone with ears.
Our Verdict:
Marcus Kernohan is the founding editor of Stereokill. 
