Album Review

Roisin Murphy – Let Me Know

• 15th Oct 2007

If the value of a piece of music was construed upon aesthetics, ex-Moloko front lady, Roisin Murphy’s latest (presumably botoxed) makeover would blast her new single to the skyscraper heights of popularity. If not, looking like a pencil drawn replica of your former self, complete with acrylic sculptured features, will at least get people talking about you, if not about the music itself.

Even after a short back and sides courtesy of Joey Negro and Andy Cato (we hear they’re big names in ‘dance music’), there’s not much bite to this single. What is the dance remix, if not getting the builders ‘in’ to reinvigorate a record with flailing sales?

Roisin has been on a lengthy sabbatical since the release of her debut ‘stand on her own’ album, which since we’d not heard of it can presume, plummeted the rock bottom depths of critical acclaim. It would be cynical to exclaim that a makeover is anything to do with attempting to inflate sales and claim the throne as the first lady luxe of dance. You may call us unqualified to make such assumptions but she will never be a LCD soundsystem nor a Justice. And whilst, dance music is presumably not about the hybridisation and incorporation of ‘other’ musical sounds and just music to get down with your bad selves to, there is still an uncomfortable distinctive late 90s feel to these remixes, which dates them. You may well like that kind of thing. But the song referring to a woman’s inability to turn her sex using lover down is probably something that women attempting to disassociate themselves from such loser exes can do without. Unfortunately, as with many pop artists, the super svelte figure of Roisin herself is a lot more interesting than her music.