ALBUM REVIEW: I Am Woman – Tragedy
Female empowerment is a magical thing. A global community coming together to encourage, instil confidence, and support each other. While the sisterhood is more than capable of doing that themselves, it always helps to have an ally. From male presenting to our non-binary counterparts, every little helps. Wanting to celebrate womanhood for all that it is comes TRAGEDY with their album perhaps not creatively titled I Am Woman. The tribute act from New York City hit the dancefloor once again but this time with a catalogue of tracks made famous by powerhouse women of our industry. The sextet gives 14 tracks from the world of disco, pop, and country the vibrant metal treatment. A rather hefty offering but big is beautiful.
The excess begins with Le Freak, a soul track which has always been an acquired taste. TRAGEDY meets CHIC in the middle and Le Freak is given a glam metal makeover. It may seem strange on paper but it’s stranger in practice. Growls akin to the death metal scene sit on the periphery as a romping funk bassline bounces throughout. Le Freak is a song which has always come with a healthy whiff of fromage but we doubt this incarnation would be welcome to “come on down to the Fifty-Four”.
No matter the calibre of the band, there are always some songs which should be left alone. GLORIA GAYNOR’s smash hit I Will Survive being one of those. The anthem for strength following a break up is nothing short of perfection, even if a guilty pleasure for some. While some up-tempo tracks have been reimagined as ballads, ADELE’s cover of Fastlove for example, there are some which simply don’t work. Slow guitars meld with synths to create a power ballad. Vocal harmonies reign supreme and are nice to listen to, but this is far too jarring for us boogie-minded sass machines. The song does eventually speed up but as the lead vocals are lost within the mix, the tale of rising from the ashes remains a puff of smoke.
The sleaze rock vibes of She Bop attempt to fan the flames but to little avail. We can appreciate the musical talent on display with TRAGEDY but something about this album feels wildly off. Dual guitar tracks and harmonies are lovely on the aural palette though we aren’t connecting. Something which throws us off further is Memory. That one… from Cats. While we can see the potential in Andrew Lloyd Webber meets metal, Cats isn’t the first one which comes to mind – Phantom Of The Opera would be the obvious candidate. The vocals retain some of the operatic qualities of the original which we enjoy, but it just doesn’t sit well on the bed of chugging guitar riffs.
ABBA and BANANARAMA slip onto TRAGEDY’s petri dish next. We will give TRAGEDY props for not going with the obvious ABBA choices to cover. The aggressive tone to this jealous lover’s ode to Lay All Your Love On Me is also greatly appreciated but it gives nothing except the want to listen to the original. The latter’s Venus bounces with the tone of sleaze rock. While the deeper register in the bridge catches our attention, it’s all too brief and we find a lot of this track lacks the punch it needs. It’s frustrating because Venus has the potential to be a sultry rock or metal track, yet the smoulder is out of order at this time
The next duo of tunes come from two of the most iconic women to ever grace the music industry; SHIRLEY BASSEY and ARETHA FRANKLIN. The Welsh songstress’ Goldfinger maintains the dramatics of the James Bond theme. That is until the vocals come in. We find the register slightly too high, and it doesn’t maintain that sexy smokiness Bassey perfected. An edge of a growl sits towards the end, but by this point this album’s ability to keep us engaged is all but gone. Though we stick around for the bold choice of covering Franklin’s demand for Respect. The shining glory on this track comes from guest vocalist Marcy Harriell. Her tone is spectacular and the power is surely there. The shame comes when those vocals are drowned in the mix beneath heavier guitars.
The downward spiral continues with Flashdance… What A Feeling, I’m So Excited, and Here You Come Again. Flashdance comes from one of the most iconic films of the 80s and this metal counterpart just doesn’t do it justice. Heavy metal elements would work well within the track but the execution lets it down massively. Meanwhile, I’m So Excited should convey the titular sentiment but the vocals feel lazily done and like it has been included in the tracklist to balance its predecessor, which leaves Here You Come Again to limp along behind into obscurity.
SHERYL CROW’s All I Wanna Do came with a certain charm in 1993. While the carpe diem aspect of the original is incredibly understated, it’s that understatement and drawl which makes it such a gem. Though in TRAGEDY’s version, not only are the instrumentals too fast for the vocals, the pace in general gives the impression this song was included to fill the time. “I am woman hear me roar” proclaims the title track which blends into KATY PERRY’s Roar. The duo of songs are meant to fit together seamlessly but come off as two incredibly rushed efforts and again give off the impression they’re time fillers.
I Am Woman’s effort to celebrate women and all they stand for is admirable. Many will appreciate the sentiment behind that and the fact we do indeed have allies. There is an argument as to whether men or male presenting people should tell the tales of the hardships their female and female presenting counterparts face throughout life but that is the discussion for another time. The celebration feels like we’ve come in at the end of the night; when beer bottles litter the floor, ever-deflating balloons droop in place, and the playlist has well and truly hit the lull.
Rating: 4/10
I Am Woman is out set for release on March 3rd via Napalm Records.
Like TRAGEDY on Facebook.