Danielle Brisebois — Portable Life (Review)
I had heard about Danielle Brisebois on one of the many “I Love The ____” series on VH1 back in the early 2000s. They were discussing the New Radicals “You Only Get What You Give”, and brought up she was part of the band. Danielle got her start as a child actress on the show All in the Family as Stephanie Mills. She later moved on to a music career in the early 90s. She became friends with fellow musician Gregg Alexander, from here they developed a creative relationship having worked on numerous projects with since then. Danielle released her first album, Arrive All over You, in 1994. The album didn’t really make much of a splash here the in the States, but did achieve a minor hit in Europe. Danielle and Gregg came together to form the group the New Radicals in the late 90s, achieving a major hit with “You Only Get What You Give” in 1998. The band disbanded shortly after and Gregg helped to co-write and produce Danielle’s second album Portable Life. This record never got released in 1999 by RCA. It did finally get a digital release in 2008. Danielle went on to write Natasha Bedingfield’s major hits “Unwritten” and “Pocket Full of Sunshine” along with various songs for other artist. I found this record on iTunes a couple of years ago and quite enjoyed “Temporary Like the Rain”. What are my thoughts on the full album?
“I’ve Had It” is the first track on the album, and was slated to be the first single off the record. It had a promotional single produced, but very few were released. This song would have been perfect for the radio at the time. It has a strong pop-terantive sound that has just started to be thing at the time. It’s catchy with a good hook. The song breaks into a quick sung portion at the second half detailing the tumultuous nature of the relationship between Danielle and this other person. “Five Friends” is a sunny sounding track about feeling lonesome with one someone to love, but understanding the luck in having true friends. “Temporary Like the Rain” is the first track I heard off this album. It has a warm airy feel to it with its sunny guitar and lush backing instrumentation. I think Danielle sounds solid on this track. It’s short track, running at just under 3 minutes. The lyrics are about short relationship that needs to end. I can also here Gregg Alexander’s influence on this track. “Stop It Hurts You’re Killing Me Don’t Stop” is a more ragged track that has the same vibe as “I’m Only Happy When It Rains” by Garbage, but I think falls flat lyrically. Sonically it is a lovely sounding track and Danielle sounds great on the track, but it’s skippable. “If I Died Tonight You’d Have to Think of Me” opens in a swirl of sound. Here, Danielle aches about what she feels is a lack of love from her lover and has to to know if her love interest really cares for her. It’s a little dramatic, but I think here it works in the songs favor. “Going Down the Wrong Way” is another pop tune with an edge. It’s a track about two lovers who are two opposites. Again, lyrically I think this track falls flat. It’s a little elementary sounding for my tastes. Sonically, it sounds fantastic, but is overall skippable. “Need a Little Love” is another I have revisited several times. It has a sound that I can hear forming other pop/alternative tunes in the early 2000s. Danielle is vocally strong here. The track almost has an Oasis feel to it. Lyrically, Danielle goes through all her vices to say that in the end all she needs is love from this person. “Just Missed the Train” comes from her first album. The version is off her first album has a very early 90s feel, it feels very stuck in that time. I think her reinventing this track for the better here. It is much stronger. Danielle sings about a relationship that could have been, but in the end they “… just missed the train”. This track went on to be rerecorded by other artists, such as Kelly Clarkson for her first album. “My Dreaming Days are Thru” is one of the poppiest tracks on the album. Danielle sings about all these things she could have, but without the man she loves she’s not nothing at all. I love the 12 string and organ on this track. The poppy guitar on the track kinda brings the track down for me a bit. I could hear many pop artist rerecording this track for there albums. The writing and sound is there for the radio. “Give Me a Day” is another track I have revisited a few times. It has calm soft rock tone to it. I find this track to one of the more interesting ones on the album, with its addition of a sitar and pop psychedelic tone. “I Had a Dream” is a slower track on the album. This track has a pop/rock sound. Danielle writes of a lover who she needs to break away from in this track. The last track is “Everything My Heart Desires” is a slow track. It has Spanish influence with its guitar. It is a nice way to end out the album.
Overall, I think the album is a pleasant listen. It definitely displays Danielles songwriting prowess for pop music. I am surprised RCA scrapped this record before its release. I think that it would have performed well enough on the radio. It isn’t a groundbreaking record, but it is definitely a nice listen. Some of the highlights on the album are:
- “I’ve Had It”
- “Need a Little Love”
- “Just Missed the Train”
- “Temporary Like the Rain”
- “Give Me a Day”
My overall rating: 5 out of 10 lives you can now carry around.
