2August
We're interrupting the series labelled Germans Have All The Best Hits for a shorter series labelled Look It's Amy MacDonald. First in this series, Amy MacDonald.
It's very early in her career; two singles, one that flopped, one that's a hit, and an album in its first week of release. Perhaps too early to do more than raise a few eyebrows. According to the hype machine, Miss MacDonald has been gigging for about four years, and moved from her roots in Bishopbriggs to the national stage. There are clear influences from Travis; the official bio credits One Of The Bluebells, and there's something of the jangly nature and minor-key optimism in her work. We're also detecting a faint whiff of the likes of the Silencers and Love And Rockets, but that could be our imagination.
After spending a year or so touring acoustic venues in Glasgow while playing the Alex Parks back catalogue (as Everybody hurts
and the slow version of Mad world
has to be), Miss MacDonald was signed to Mercury records this year. First major-label single Poison prince
came out in May, and - according to legend - was inspired by that professional hat wearer Peter Doherty. Current single Mr. Rock 'n' roll
has a chorus that variously reminds people of Johnny Cash's Ring of fire
, the well-known Handytone La grande valse
, and some incidental music from Who wants to be a millionaire?
.
Commercially huge but critically reviled, suggested Het Grauniad in February. It's either going to be that, or critical darling who sells about fifty copies, and half of those are to her family. Time will tell.
