techno mood music with energy, good vocals and lovely use of orchestra

techno mood music with energy, good vocals and lovely use of orchestra

Jem shines beautifully

So the comparisons to Dido, Poe and even Evanescence have been made, but is that such a bad thing? Jem here fuses every 'good' quality these artists possess and turns them into one of the best albums to come out in a long time. I first heard Jem when her song 'Come on Closer' was playing on a trailer for the film 'Closer' and I was imediatly hooked. The opening track 'They' loops some childrens song beat throughout and comes off as a creepy (don't know how) version of 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'...I don't know but that's all I can think off when I hear that "bop budop bup bodup" part in the song. 'Save Me' is a great R&Bish type song, but it's '24' that stands out apart from the rest of this album as the best track here. It has edge and power and force and her voice is just so haunting here, the way it goes in and out during the "24 hours" part...brilliant. 'Missing You' and 'Falling for You' are soft and haunting and beautiful and two of my favorites here. 'Wish I' has the island vibe to it, and the great thing is that Jem works it out. 'Flying High' is a slow tempo song set to the backdrop of a finger picked aucustic guitar and it serves as a nice detour from the electronica type beats of the rest of the album. This album is a very well rounded album with quality tracks from start to finish. I love this girl.

Pop with substance - is there such a thing?

Well, this is a question that could be debated on the merits of what is defined as "pop" music alone....however as it pertains to Jem and her CD "Finally Woken" I would say the answer is a resounding YES!