#11: Diana Vickers - Jumping Into Rivers

The season of X Factor that Diana Vickers was on was the one I watched the most, as I've said countless times. (note: this was the same season JLS were on) And I REALLY wanted her to win, or at least get into the finals with JLS. She obviously didn't, and I was devastated to say the least, but the material she put out, years later, was enough to console me. For now.


Diana has a rather different voice - it's both rough and smooth, it's got a bit of body coupled with an airy texture, but it's an absolute pleasure to listen to. The combination makes it rather soothing, to be honest. As much as it sounds gorgeous singing ballads, (like Notice, which almost made the list) it's her uptempos that intrigue and amaze me.

It's hard to choose uptempos for her, to be honest, because you can't give her some random song you'd give Pixie or Alexandra. But Jumping Into Rivers was the perfect choice, if I may say so. And the execution was just spot-on, especially for the vocals to really stand out.

The arrangement is very simple, but the instrumentation is very sharp. All the instruments have a snap to them - from the drum line to the guitar section - and it's a contrast to Diana's very soft (not in terms of volume) voice.

And oh dear, the melody. The melody is drop-dead gorgeous - it has enough intensity at the chorus and enough smoothness at the verses to actually be rather soothing. And none of that "chill" crap - it's a midtempo verging on uptempo and it's got kick, thank you very much.

Diana Vickers - Once EP

I'd love to say "holy crap" again like how I started my Robyn review, but that would be too redundant on my part. So how about "OMG I THINK I'M IN LOVE" this time? OMG I THINK I'M IN LOVE.

OK so kill me now for writing a review after listening to the track on the music video, because damn I don't think I did it any justice. That and this EP has successfully sent me into hysterics - brilliance. Downright, unmistakeable brilliance.

I'm banging my head on the table right now for not listening to this sooner. Like, I should've listened to Ken when he said this EP is epic because it is! Damn.

I've said it numerous times but I love Diana's voice. It does have a tendency to be a bit rough or airy, but I think it's all a matter of taste - some people like it, some don't. I for one, adore it - the girl's got "kick", and it just so happens that voices like that are the in thing now, with Ellie Goulding all high and mighty (but she's a completely different story).

If I were to describe the production on this EP in one word, I'd say it's very warm. It's very Brit, yes, but the production sounds very homely and warm - kinda like a home-cooked meal. It's very clean, yes, and the strings on Sunlight are gorgeous, but as a whole it sounds very warm and comfortable - effortless almost.

I said my piece on Once, rather publicly on Virgin Music, but hearing the higher quality version, I realize that I didn't to it justice whatsoever. I still like how it explodes, but the explosion is way more stunning on my copy. The 70's-ish synths are still there and they're still a nice complement to the song, but the last chorus just sends me into hysterics. Like, HOMG THOSE ARE REAL DRUMS AND HOMG THE LAST CHORUS IS EPICCCC. Sorry, lost control for a while. I mean, how can I not? Then everything just goes back to the piano loop and the guitar. Damn.

Sunlight is one of those gorgeous ballads. It's not in-your-face, it's not excessive nor is it trying too hard to be intellectual and whatnot. It's a pop ballad. It's gorgeous. That's it. The string section made me faint and Diana's vocals match AND contrast the melody very well. Here you have a very sleek, clean instrumental and then you have a voice like Diana's - holy crap I think I might just name her my favorite artist of the year, emphasis on the might.

Jumping In To Rivers has a "Frou Frou Central Mix", whatever that is. The start reminds me a lot of something straight out of a Guy Sebastian album. Hmm. I find it really cool though - it's very summer-y and light but still manages to keep a sense of dynamics and intensity. I love the percussion section, it's literally really snappy and sounds like drum sticks hitting a hardwood surface or possibly the side of a snare drum. (I'm a drummer's daughter - I know these things!) I like the sound of the guitar as well, although I'm not really the biggest guitar expert out there, it matches the snappy percussion really well.

I remember the first time I heard the "acoustic version" of Four Leaf Clover - Ken was all over the song. I listened to a lower-quality version and I was like "this is gorgeous" but again, now with the better-quality version it's like the song got a sense of dimension. I like the dynamics on this song, like the rest of the album - she seems to be very good at it, which is fantastic. The chorus for me is a little less brilliant than the verses, but they're kind of untouchable so the entire song is like WHOA. It reminds me a lot of Britt Nicole's Have Your Way, but I think I like this better.

5/5 - too many perfect scores lately!