Is Evanescence Peeeerfect By Nature? Let's take a look...
Written: Jul 10 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Make an idiot out of yourself by doing karaoke; good for huge fans to collect
Cons: Live performances are okay but are still kinda "eeeh..."; casual fans won't need it
The Bottom Line: It's... good...strictly for Evanescence lovers
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| blindsider's Full Review: Everybody's Fool [single] - Evanescence Movies |
Talented bands like Arkansas' very own melodic hard rockers Evanescence make it so hard for their fans to pick only one 'favorite song' by them. However, if a day ever comes in which someone ties me down and forces me to pick only one favorite from, say, the beautiful album known as Fallen (because clearly, criminals are interested in such matters), I just might say "Everybody's Fool". Not only does Amy Lee's voice absolutely soar in the entrancing chorus, the verses are so energetic, emotional, and captivating.
So what's an Evanescence obsessed fool to do when she finds the single of her favorite Evanescence song on Ebay? Well, pshh, buy it of course. After a dozen or so questions from my family members along the line of, "Don't you already have that song?", I adamantly bought the freaking single anyway -- granted, for a somewhat ridiculous price. Why, you ask? Well, for one, I'm such a music nerd that I simply think it's cool to own singles/import/weird things from my favorite bands. Not only that, this single contains an instrumental version of "Everybody's Fool", which just had my offkey vocal chords written all over it. Heck, Amy's _expression on the cover art even screams of "Come on, try to hit the notes that I effortlessly hit. You will be laughed at! Bwahaha!" Not really, but I have an overactive imagination.
1. Everybody's Fool (album version)
2. Taking Over Me (live)
3. Whisper (live)
4. Everybody's Fool (instrumental)
"Everybody's Fool" is a gritty, midtempo, and seething song that is actually quite beautiful. Addictive guitar rhythms collide with Amy's accusing cries in all the right ways. Interestingly enough, Amy penned the impressive lyrics at the age of 17; she makes no effort to contain her dislike of the idolized superstars who are anything but good role models for young girls. "Perfect by nature," she warbles sarcastically, "icons of self-indulgence...just what we all need." Somehow, I can never become sick of this song; in fact, I think I only love it more as time goes on.
I was holding my breath, fearing for what the two live performances would sound like. So don't get me wrong here, fellow Evanescence lovers, but on many occasions, I have been -- what's the best way to say this? -- highly disappointed by Amy's live voice. Yes, I'm aware of the fact that she moves around and has tons of energy during concerts. Yes, I'm aware that I could never dream of hitting the notes that she hits. However, the thing that perplexes and bothers me most is the fact that her vocal tone is often so dissimilar to the studio recordings that it barely even sounds like the same vocalist. It's almost like the clear, gorgeous tone displayed on albums has been replaced by the trembly bleat of a nervous amateur.
Luckily, though, "Taking Over Me" and "Whisper" aren't nearly as hideous as most of the live performances on the band's live CD/DVD Anywhere But Home. Yes, Amy's voice is shaky, but the performances are done with a rare conviction and confidence that can be visualized without even seeing the concert in action. It's nearly hypnotic in a way; the instrumentation of Evanescence is always much better in concert, because it seems like -- particularly in terms of guitar work -- things flow better live and are more experimental. Amy's voice is clear and loud enough, and the whole band does an impressive job, especially on "Taking Over Me", a downright haunting, steadily rocking number about an obsession that has possibly gone much too far.
Last but certainly not least, the instrumental "Everybody's Fool" decides to make its appearance. By no means am I a talented singer... which makes karaoke all the more fun. I tried all sorts of different things with my voice to throw a new twist on the amazing song, and I think the more ridiculous I sounded, the more fun I was having. I've noticed over the years that everytime I do karaoke, I gain so much more respect for the vocalist whose song I am performing. Singing is a challenging thing for sure...or maybe I'm just that awful. Whatever the case, doing karaoke to this made me realize even more that Amy's sound is incredible, and she really leaves an endearing, passionate stamp on Evanescence's sound that honestly couldn't be replaced no matter what.
This single is certainly a nice token for any huge Evanescence fan, simply for the sake of having it. Yes, we already have "Everybody's Fool" on the Fallen album; yes, we've already heard tons of live versions of "Taking Over Me" and "Whisper"; yes, we're all going to sound like junk ran over twice when we feebly attempt to warble along to the 'karaoke' version of "Everybody's Fool".
But isn't it fun?
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MORE ON EVANESCENCE
Origin / Fallen / Anywhere But Home
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Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
blindsider
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 in Music |
 - Top 1000 |
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Member: Sheila Doki
Location: Sherman, TX, USA
Reviews written: 343
Trusted by: 133 members
About Me:
Somebody check my brain.
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