Search - Maia Sharp :: Hardly Glamour

Sultry, intelligent, entertaining

03/05/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard "I need this to be love" on DMX, and immediately went in search of the CD. Maia has a sultry sexy delivery of smart well written songs. Strong instrumental support. The selections vary from humorous to highly emotional. All tracks are very intelligent and quite enjoyable. I still listen to it a lot after over a year."

Unique & Exquisite

Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 07/20/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard of "Hardly Glamour" when Carole King said in an interview that Maia Sharp was one of her favorites. If the greatest woman songwriter of the 20th century says somebody's a good songwriter, it's time to check it out! So as I'm waiting with anticipation for my copy of her new self-titled CD to arrive, I thought I'd look back at this marvelous first release.
"I Need This To Be Love" is CLASSIC, one of the best songs you'll hear anywhere, a haunting ballad, "Swept away by our ambition, my family's name can't save me now; so turn the key in the ignition & if our freedom will allow, I need this to be love!" What a wonderful aching vocal Sharp gives. "Good Thing" is a soft tune with nice harmony on background vocals bolstering the melody, "It's a good thing you found somebody you really care about; and it's a good thing you felt you owed me your reasons for wanting out..." But the pain in her voice let's us know that it's not REALLY so great! This is followed by another CLASSIC track that I hope somebody who knows Bonnie Raitt will please send to her. "The Apology" surges with energy and an original melody that makes one see how Carole King would recogize this talent, "Your heart is in another place; your dreams see another face; your touch isn't meant for me; it feels like an apology." Buy the CD for that track. "Brownstone" is a midtempo track about getting out of the city. "Broken" is a peppy tune with a passionate vocal about dealing with lies. "Only Way of Knowing" has an expansive vocal like a bird on a wing. Mark Addison whose obscure band "The Borrowers" put out what's now a great bargain bin CD serves as cowriter on "Don't Come Around Tonight" with its great bass line, a real toe tapper. Pam Kennedy from Kennedy Rose does nice background vocals on the pretty jazz groove of "Solitaire," "No one else's troubles taking up your day." "Wandering Heart" is a slow tune with Sharp's surging piano. "Virtues of Madness" is a rocker, "One of the virtues of madness is that no matter what people might say, no one can quiet my calling or break down my 'come what may'." The CD concludes with yet another CLASSIC track with its gorgeous melody, Sharp's piano & aching vocal, the elegy, "Parting Request," "It's important that you rejoin me at the parting request of our companion; so he brings us back together, but he had to go to such extremes." The humorous irony about a friend who has to die in order to get two old friends back together has so many levels. Maia Sharp is an amazing songwriter. Her voice has a husky quality to it somewhat like Carole King's or Carly Simon's. There are no weak spots and with three classic tracks, this is a MUST OWN!"

Best Maia Sharp Album

Matt | 02/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are going to have one MS album, get this one. I like Maia's more recent stuff, but on this album almost every song is a true gem- I think it being her first album she had stored up all these great songs that are just so unique. I'm so glad to see it's in open distribution again- I had to mail away to her manager or someone to get this a few years ago! (record company issues I heard) It was worth the effort in spades."