Punishing Kiss

I really enjoyed The Part You Throw Away. Split is a really solid song. Purple Avenue is another great one. Super cool album.

WTF is this? It's not good, it doesn't bring anything to the table that I HAD to hear, and did I mention it's bad? Few albums have left me as confused as to why they're on the list as this one.

This was a new one to me, never heard of Ute Lemper before (or Kurt Weill for that matter). I found it very interesting, not something I would be in a rush to listen to again though. I didn't like the duet songs at all, but found the second track and the last pretty fantastic. Reminded me of latter period David Bowie and Scott Walker in places.

Ute Lemper is a German singer. Her backing band for this whole album was The Divine Comedy, so that should tell you all you need to know about this album. It's weird, poppy music. It should be better, because Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and Scott Walker all wrote songs for the album, but The Divine Comedy's shitty poppy influences drug this album down hard. This whole album sounds like a Disney movie soundtrack. Really boring. Or like, James Bond intro music. An hour long James Bond intro. Uuugghhh.

Favourite songs: Die Dreigroschenoper: Tango Ballad

Least favourite songs: Scope J., Streets of Berlin, The Part You Throw Away... And others. The whole album kept almost putting me to sleep.

1/5

Talented musicians. Theatrical, cabaret-style. You either like this style or you don’t. Not anything I would choose to listen to twice.

Lemper’s voice is kinda cool. The quality of the songs varies with that of the collaborators.

I know by now that this style of crooning baroque pop inspired by the likes of Scott Walker is right up my alley, even arguably a guilt pleasure, thanks to Neil Hannon of the Divine Comedy. Hell, right before I generated this album I was checking out an album by them that I had never listened to before, so it is almost like destiny, even to the point where you can tell that a lot of the songwriting was done by Hannon himself, as if Ute Lemper's voice was used as a vessel for him and many other artists to try out cabaret, or bring themselves into a different perspective. I actually surprisingly quite enjoyed Costello's additions, as the pop-ier sound was a nice change of pace, and I wish they were a bit more spread out, because I was seeking shelter by the end from the musical theater displayed in front of me by the end of the album. I mean, Tom Waits also had some great additions, and whenever Neil was actually singing on one of his songs it was a blast, even if he felt like he was making fun of his own singing voice at times, but forty minutes in the album seemed ready to wrap up. Luckily, Scott Walker himself comes out of nowhere to deliver one of the darkest sounding songs I've heard from this subsection of music. It's repetitive, long, and droning, but God does it send shivers down my spin and feel like it is the perfect stop to the album. The first half of the album is truly amazing, though, with some pieces from everyone that are truly great, especially the Nick Cave tune that is undoubtedly, well, Nick Cave, but in the best of ways. Sure, the album can be seen as not really Lemper's, and that can cause it to feel like a fish out of water situation where I can't imagine too many who listen to this get what they want, but I feel this fits me just right, and is just as much of a force of nature as any of the albums of those who appear here alongside Lemper, and that makes me glad I got to check it out.

Toegegeven. Dit biedt variatie. Elk nummer weet me op een andere manier op mijn zenuwen te werken.

Soms moet ze even kracht bij zetten met geschreeuw, soms maakt ze het extra saai. Of zeurend met van die laaaaaannnnnggggeee lettergrepen.

Overall, I quite like this. At it's best it's theatrical and very dramatic. Lots of people are hating on this, but I'd way rather listen to something like this than some insipid, safe pop album. This one at least swings for the fences a little bit and is doing something interesting. Funnily enough, the tracks I like the least are where other artists are involved that I'm not particularly a fan of.

Divine Comedy aside, real stacked crew of collaborators on here that did not end up making an album that I liked whatsoever. Glad Tom Waits and Nick Cave had fun I guess.

What a top tier lineup! Incredible voice, amazing composition, what's not to love.

I don't know what to make of this album. It's kind of like a compilation of Broadway-style songs featuring different vocalists. I was sort of surprised to see this was from 2000 for some reason. I don't really know who the intended audience for this record would have been at that time. I mean there are some cool songs here but I guess I don't really get why it was made. It sort of seems like these songs were all cast offs from failed Broadway shows and they just lumped them all together. It was interesting to listen to, not offensive in any way, flowed well from one to the next, but I won't be listening to this album again. 2.5/5 rounding up to 3.

This is not for me. Ute Lemper is an excellent vocalist. Hopefully she's doing some Disney soundtracks and making a living. Including this on the list feels like someone's pet project. We all know someone that tries to get you to like music that you just don't for whatever reason: "C'mon man! You HAVE to hear this!!!"

It's okay. Very heavy-handed. Maybe for another time. Elvis Costello jumped the shark a while back when he tried to do a Country album (yeah, I said it). Considering skipping blatant attempts at taste making on this list in the future.

This album is worth a listen for fans of cabaret, chanson, and art pop. It showcases Lemper's talent and versatility as a singer and interpreter of songs. It is also a tribute to the legacy of Kurt Weill and his influence on modern music.

However, the album is not too my personal taste. I felt that some of the songs were too similar to each other and lacked variety. I appreciate the artistic value of the album, but I won't be listening to it again anytime soon.

I would give this album 3 out of 5 stars. It is an important album that deserves more attention and appreciation than it has received, but it is not for everyone.

Wow, I liked this much more than I expected. I figured this was going to be a 3 after reading description. Instead, I found the album captivating from start to finish. She has a very dramatic singing style that just works. I've been listening to the album for days and want to keep on listening. I'll call that a 5. Favorite tracks: Little Water Song (great start to the album - pulled me right in), The Case Continues, You Were Meant for Me (particularly the ending), and Scope J (mysterious, somewhat bizarre, but I really liked it).

EDIT: In retrospect, I think I scored this too high. I enjoyed it, but definitely shouldn't be a 5. Rescored to a 4.

WHY DOES THIS GUY LIKE THE DIVINE COMEDY SO MUCH

Apparently, if you stand in front of the mirror and say "indulgent" three times, Ute Lemper appears and starts screaming this album in your ear.

Tiukka ääni ja melkoinen lauluntekijäkimara! Osa biiseistä genressään oikein hyviä, osa taas jäi vähän kädenlämpöiseksi. Varmaan 3/5.

Very weird, fairly bad, better than a few others.
Sounds like sarcastic Bond themes, sung by someone who has been in every musical.
Not for me

La propuesta me parecía interesante, además me gustan The Divine Comedy pero el disco me ha parecido más o menos aburrido. No creo que sea algo a escuchar obligatoriamente en la vida. Le voy a dar 2 estrellas ** pero podría haber sido una, no por malo, sino por aburrido.