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the disbandment of the British indie-pop group the Housemartins in 1989,
vocalist Paul Heaton and drummer David Hemingway formed the Beautiful
South. Where their previous group relied on jazzy guitars and witty, wry
lyrics, the Beautiful South boasted a more sophisticated, jazzy pop
sound, layered with keyboards, R&B-inflected female backing vocals
and, occasionally, light orchestrations. Often, the group's relaxed,
catchy songs often contradicted the sarcastic, cyncial thrust of the
lyrics. Nevertheless, the band's pleasant arrangements often tempered
whatever bitterness there was in Heaton's lyrics, and that's part of the
reason why the Beautiful South became quite popular within its native
Britain during the '90s. Though the group never found a niche in America
-- by the middle of the decade, their records weren't even being
released in the U.S. -- their string of melodic jazz-pop singles made
them one of the most successful, if one of the least flashy, bands in
Britain. Their popularity was confirmed by the astonishing success of
their 1994 singles compilation, Carry on Up the Charts, which became one
of the biggest-selling albums in British history. The Beautiful South released their follow-up to Miaow, Blue is the Colour, in the fall of 1996. Quench followed three years later and Painting It Red was issued in fall 2000. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide |
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©2003 BTEM Media |
