Album Review: Alison Moyet – Key
2 min read
With a career spanning close to five decades Alison Moyet is an icon of British punk rock. Despite first coming to fame as half of the pop duo Yazoo (Yaz in the US) Moyet quickly established herself as an award winning solo artist with her debut album Alf. To mark 40 years since Alf’s release and to celebrate her solo career, Moyet has released Key her 10th studio album which reworks many of her past hits while introducing two previously unreleased tracks. The album celebrates Moyet’s career with highlights from each of her “eras”.
The albums arrangements bring a whole new sound to some of Moyet’s hits. Is This Love, is rearranged to draw out the heart-breaking lyrics. While the original vocals were smothered in synth this new take allows Moyet to really emote through song, the arrangement lifting and enhancing her vocals. Filigree takes this stripping back even farther starting the song acapella and limiting the backing throughout. This transforms the song from one that may have been forgotten alongside its more powerful sister tracks, to one that stands on its own as a vulnerable and affecting ballad.
Other times the changes are less effective. Love Resurrection has less of a major change from the original. The song remains a powerful synth ballad with cleaner vocals and more modern production, While it does allow Moyet to better showcase her vocals than the original it loses some of its heart along with the 80s effects and risks being compared less favourably to her previous hit. The less changed songs are much more effective in the cases of My Best Day, and This House where the more subtle changes keep the authenticity of the original tracks while making them sound refreshed.
The two new songs Such Small Ale and The Impervious Me, fit in so well that you could be forgiven for thinking they too are previous hits. Such Small Ale’s powerful gothic imagery, warbling vocals and synth production make it a perfect accompaniment to the other tracks while also showcasing Moyet’s clever lyrical ability. The Impervious Me is a more playful track. Its layered vocals, and light almost talk sung verses contrasted with the rising piano backed chorus gives it an authentic goth-rock feel. It holds up among the best of Moyet’s previous work.
As a celebration of Alison Moyet’s career Key is perfect. While some songs benefit more then others from the reworked production, as a collection the tracks showcase exactly why she’s been successful for so long. With the new tracks as good as the old, Key is a brilliant career portfolio that demonstrates Moyet’s enduring talent.
