Album: Unfold
Artist: Marie Digby
Release Date: April 8, 2008
Genre: Pop
Marie Digby is a true YouTube phenom, with her homemade videos being viewed over 15 million times. She first shot to fame in '07 when she posted a video of herself singing a cover of Rihanna's Umbrella. To date, her take on Umbrella has had over 6 million hits, and it propelled Digby into a moderate internet sensation. Contrary to popular belief (and uncovered in a Wall Street Journal article), Digby wasn't a complete unknown in the music industry when she first started posting videos on YouTube. Already signed to Hollywood Records, she explains that she was tired of the lack of promotion she was getting, resorting to YouTube as a last attempt to get her name out there before being dropped by her label.
Digby's persistence of self-promotion in this new media age has led to a loyal following, and is proving to pay off well. She went from being a nobody at her label to a much talked about star. Her channel on YouTube is one of the most subscribed to, her songs have been featured on episodes of shows like the Hills and Smallville, Gap chose her to be one of the musicians featured in their upcoming Spring ad campaign, and her first full-length album, Unfold, was released this week.
As one of her loyal fans (I love girls on pianos as much as guys on guitars), I bought the album the day of its release. Considering I was pretty familiar with most of the songs on her album- live performances of her songs can be found on her YouTube page- the album wasn't a big surprise nor does it stray from what she's known for. However, the acoustic feel of her performances in her videos is missing from the album, as Unfold is a slickly produced pop record. If she hadn't shown her coffeehouse performance-style side in her videos, you would've just thought she was a generic pop star from the sounds of this record alone.
That's not to say that Unfold is a generic album. I mean, it doesn't re-invent the whole pop, pop princess, or pop-rock genre, but it's enjoyable to listen to. Digby is a talented songwriter, and while she is best known for covering famous songs, she is apt at composing original songs that are catchy and lyrical. She has a very pretty, very melodic voice, which she employs in her very pretty, very melodic songs. If you're into pop, this is a good record to check out.
Recommended Tracks: Say it Again, Spell, Girlfriend, Umbrella
Grade: B+
2 comments:
She is also very pretty, which is a big reason why her videos have seen so much success. I'm glad she's doing well.
i want her to be my best friend!!!! <3 her yayayay :) when she tours ny...we must go!!!
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