Search - Amy Macdonald :: This Is The Life

This Is The Life
Amy Macdonald
This Is The Life
Genres: Folk, Pop, Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (10) - Disc #1

Amy MacDonald is that proverbial old head on young shoulders, a Scottish singer-songwriter who, despite her tender 19 years, writes songs with the grace, wisdom, and proficiency of one with a score more on the clock. As in...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Amy Macdonald
Title: This Is The Life
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Decca U.S.
Original Release Date: 8/19/2008
Release Date: 8/19/2008
Genres: Folk, Pop, Rock
Styles: Contemporary Folk, Adult Contemporary, Singer-Songwriters, Adult Alternative
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
Other Editions: This Is the Life (Special Edition) (Includes Bonus CD)
UPCs: 602517513259, 602517692305, 0602517513259, 0602517552647, 4988005496997

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Amy MacDonald is that proverbial old head on young shoulders, a Scottish singer-songwriter who, despite her tender 19 years, writes songs with the grace, wisdom, and proficiency of one with a score more on the clock. As influenced by the Libertines as by any venerable old folk hand, the eleven songs on This Is the Life combine a traditional, acoustic folk-rock sound with a youthful spirit and self-assured lyrics that veer between the observational and the confessional. "Poison Prince" is a jagged guitar strut dedicated to some Doherty-like bad boy, a song every bit as pathos-laden as the Libertines at their doomed, romantic best with a closing treatise to find "An upbeat song/So we can dance the night away," while "Mr. Rock & Roll" begins as a wryly withering jibe at some perennial party animals, but by the chorus has softened into a subtle, touching tale of human coupling. MacDonald's age doesn't seem to have been an impediment--"Youth of Today," reportedly written when she was 15, is one of the better tracks here, while "Footballer's Wife" is a clear-headed attack on vapid Barbie-doll celebrity that suggests this girl is very much on the right track. "Rolling Stone, here I come, watch out everyone/I'm singing my song," she sings on "Let's Start a Band." Let that be a warning to you. --Louis Pattison Amy MacDonald Photos

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Member CD Reviews

Agnieszka S. from DES PLAINES, IL
Reviewed on 1/19/2010...
Wonderful CD. Everysong different -- wonderful voice.

CD Reviews

The Exquisitely Talented Amy MacDonald
P. Marsh | USA | 10/05/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)

"The most wonderful things happen when you least expect it. I was absentmindedly listening to an English radio station on the internet and suddenly I was in a happy place thinking that I was hearing a classic Fleetwood Mac or Eagles track. But it dawned on me, I hadn't heard this before. The tune was Mr. Rock and Roll. I totally flipped out, caught the name of the singer and hunted the internet to find out more. My twelve year old daughter came to my rescue got me to YouTube and we watched the video. After that I was hitting the play button again and again like a chimpanzee being rewarded with grapes. I couldn't get the tune out of my head. Then I began to feel uncomfortable. The vocals didn't give it away. Amy MacDonald was nineteen when she recorded This Is the Life. Was this the start of a mid-life crisis? Thankfully, it turned out that the album has resonated with the middle-aged, with apparently many sharing the joy with their kids. Besides Mr. Rock and Roll, the majority of the remaining tracks are just as catchy and melodic, sung with a voice that is rather hard to describe, peaches and grapefruit is about the best I can come up with. The acoustic guitar is addictive.



This is the absolutely the most enjoyable rock or popular music I have experienced in a very long time. Listening to this album certainly is the life."
1st US Release By 2 Time Platinum Selling Scottish Lass
Sheila Chilcote-Collins | Collinswood, Van Wert, OH USA | 07/22/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)

"Young Amy Macdonald is no stranger to millions of fans in Europe as she is a 2 time platinum selling and award winning artist. She started playing guitar and writing music/lyrics at 12 in Scotland, gigging at 15 and the rest is history, albeit a brief one so far. The 1st US release, which hits the street on August 19th, 2008, titled, "This Is The Life" has an acoustic folk/pop sound starts out well with the tunes, "Mr. Rock & Roll", the title song, "This Is The Life" and "Poison Prince" which very well may be an ode to good pal, Pete Doherty of Babyshambles/Kate Moss fame or someone like him. However, the sappy song, L.A.; an admitted ode to Jake Gyllenhall and "Footballer's Wife" are quite vapid.



Gotta remember, though that this is a girl of 19. She writes about teenage angst and therein lies a bit of a problem. Amy's voice is unbelievably mature beyond her years and is somewhere juxtaposed between Joan Armatrading, Judy Collins, KT Tunstall and Lilly Allen. Yeah, I know... Odd combination.



The tracks seem to gradually get a bit muddied with "Youth Of Today" being my least favorite on the CD. But the song, "A Wish For Something More" has a timeless story of a woman who happens to be best friends with a man but wishes for something more in their relationship. This is probably the best track on the CD in my opinion.



I believe that as Amy matures, so will her lyrics and approach to music in general. Plan to see many great things from Amy in the future. I am sure she will have the great success she has had in Europe and be received very well right here in the U.S.A."